Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart
by Max Slasher
Summary: Transcending to mysterious new worlds! Three new Nobodies exist to find beat Organization XIII to obtaining hearts. However, an underlying feeling comes through and a much more meaningful reason for a heart begins to exist.
1. The Story Begins! Enter the Nobodies!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

As is with every fanfiction, I do not own a majority of these characters. However, when they appear, you'll know which ones are mine.

He looked at his hands, then up at the bright sky above him. The sun was peeking out behind a cloud, hovering high above the arena of Olympus Collesium. There was a loud roar coming from the crowd as they filled in every spot available on the benches. Before him stood his opponent: the half-human and half-god Hercules. What stood out was his glow. As a god, he couldn't be killed. That was the fun of fighting him. Who could last the longest? The young challenger was dressed in a golden chest plate and a armored 'skirt'. The boy's long blonde hair draped over his shoulders like silk. Hercules was dressed in the same apparel, equipped with a small purple cape. Given to both of them, a short sword tied into its sheath. Unlike most of the inhabitants of Olympus, he was given a fairly different name. William stood up onto the battle square, his arms crossed over his chest. Hercules looked at him and gave a small thumbs up. "We'll be careful, right?" William asked, returning the gesture. A nod was given. There was the sound of metal against leather and Hercules had his sword pointed out. William did the same, sweat dripping from his brow. Never before had he been this nervous. He gulped and ran toward his opponent, sword held over his head. Hercules jumped out of the way, twirling his sword around as swiftly as a ballerina spins her batton. William skidded to a halt, turning to face the other man.

"You'll have to try better than that," Hercules laughed in a soft voice. William turned and swung at him once more. The blade made contact with Herc's skin. However, the slash simply healed itself in the blink of an eye.

"I'll last the longest!" the boy growled, "Just you wait and see!" The blade swung out once more, making contact with Hercules'. The two swords began to clash with each other, over and over. The halfling looked at William through the assault, thinking he was getting too dangerous with the fight.

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The soft coo of the waves echoed within the ears of a young pirate. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she stared out lovingly to the waters. She was looking for someone. Her heart ached upon the very thought of him and she brinked tears at the mention of his name. The boat groaned as a wave splashed up against its starboard side. She turned to look at her crew; a group of females much the same age as her. She wore her hair up in a bun, with locks of hair draping over her face. She had soft blue eyes and a face beggeting a child. "Captain Kristel!" piped up a crewman.

"What is it?" she asked, turning her gaze back to the ocean. She was still waiting for him.

"The..." but that's all that was said. There was a sudden crash, causing Captain Kristel to stumble a bit.

"What did we hit!" she barked out, looking around her and then back at the crew. She jumped down from her spot, her red and black skirt fluttering as she landed at the bottom of the staircase. As she walked, jingles from her coins and jewels could be heard. She wrapped her slender fingers around a bar and looked down at the water below the ship. "Doesn't look like we've hit a reef..." she turned and gasped at what she saw. A single tentacle was jutting out of the water, swinging around and snatching up twenty crewmen at a time. "My God..." she whispered. Just then, three more shot up from the depths, coiling themselves around her ship. She pulled a gun from its holster and fired. To no avail. The beast couldn't be stopped.

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A young girl sat on the steps of the train station, looking down at the orange tiles. She drew circles on the ground with a stick that she had found on the way up there. The circles were being drawn between her feet and her elbows rested on her khaki pants. She sighed heavily. The Struggle champion, Setzer, had turned down a date with her. The girl stood up and fluffed out her red hair. It was a little bit longer than shoulder length. As she began to leave the train station to go home. _I sense there's something wrong..._whispered a voice. It was calm and soothing. The girl turned around. "Who's there?" she whispered. There was no answer. She paused and then started back on her way. Maybe she was hearing things. Yet it was so clear.

"Lacey!" called out a familiar voice. The girl perked up once more and turned to see a boy standing on the steps of the station. He had black hair that jutted out in all different directions due to the headband that rested on his forehead. He wore a red jersey with unidentifiable 'grafiti' on the back of it. His legs were covered by a pair of baggy jeans. "I'm headed toward the mansion. Didn't expect to see you here. Want to come along?" Lacey smiled and fixed her orange vest and she shook out her black sleeves.

"All right, sure, Pence," she smiled. She waited for him to approach her. Together, the two walked silently down the hill past Pence's hideout behind the chain fence. Lacey paused when she heard the same voice once more, saying the same thing. She shook her head.

"Something wrong?" Pence asked, looking at her from over his shoulder. She blinked a few times before realizing what he had asked.

"No," she said, "It's fine." She walked a bit past him, a skip in her step. The mansion had always interested her. She had just never had the courage to go and look into the building herself. Since Pence was with her, though, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The hill took a turn to the left, and they paused for the trolley to pass by. Pence then broke into a run, noticing that another trolley was on its way. Lacey jumped as far as she could over the tracks and then ran across. The trolley went past and sent a small rush of wind past them. She ran a hand through her red hair.

It was another fifteen minutes or so before they reached the mansion. The wind seemed to become silent and everything around them seemed to stop. "Well, come on," Lacey said, pushing the large gate open and entering the yard. The weeds were large and overgrown. And they wrapped around the large broken pillars that were in the yard. Nobody in Twilight Town was sure where this mansion had come from. They weren't even sure who had lived in it. However, here it stood. Just as mysterious as its history. Pence followed the girl into the yard.

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William stopped. He had gone to swipe at Herc's feet when a sharp pain shot through his body. He felt something cold running down his shoulder. Something cold and sticky. With horror, he stared at his shoulder, dropping his sword. There was a loud clang as the metal contacted the stone. Hercules noticed what he had done. There was a collected gasp from the crowd. William stared at his shoulder as the blood dripped all over the stone arena. The pain was blinding. Everything around him was becoming a blur. This was it...he could feel himself falling...deeper and deeper...into a blackness.

"Looks like Wonderboy made a bit of an...oopsie," whispered a voice. William opened his eyes to see a blue faced person, with blue flames atop his head. A black cloak draped his body and black smoke swirled up around the person's feet. "Sorry to say it kid. But you're under _my _jurisdiction now."

"Who..." William tilted his head, standing up slowly. The bleeding had stopped. He looked down at his body. He saw through his own outline to the ground below, "What's happened to me!"

"The name's Hades, Lord of the Undead. And you...well, you're dead," he shrugged his shoulders, wrapping an arm around the boy. His slender and pointed fingers were coiled around his shoulder, "Well? What are you waiting for?" Hades asked, "Hop in. You're not going anywhere."

"No!" he cried out, falling to his knees and holding his head, "This was an accident! I wasn't supposed to die!" As badly as he felt like crying, he knew it was impossible.

"Such a shame, isn't it?" Hades asked, looking at his fingernails, "Too bad, so sad. You win some, you lose some. Get in the river." William stood up and looked over his shoulder at the Lord of the Underworld.

"You made deals...with Hercules?" There was a nod from the God, "How about you make one with me. You let me live, in any form you wish. And I'll do your bidding." Hades wrapped his fingers around his chin. William was willing to do anything to continue living, no matter it be in the form of a rodent, worm, or other creature that roamed the Earth.

"Hmm..." Hades mumbled, "I get complete and utter control of someone..." ("Going ONCE!" William barked) "Someone who's already technically dead and I get to choose whatever form I want for him..." ("Going TWICE!") "All right then!" Hades barked, the flames on top of his head flashing red for a moment. His spinedly fingers clasped around William's ghostly hand. A bright light emitted from their touch and at that moment a purple smoke surrounded the boy. When the smoke cleared, a small black creature jumped about at Hades' feet. It had bright yellow eyes and small antennae perched atop its head.

However, at the birth of this creature, another one was born...

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She looked at her feet, then stared up once more when the disgusting smell of mucus and water filled her nostrils. A man...or was it beast? stood in front of her. Tentacles draped from his chin, as if like a beard. On his shoulder was a large chunk of coral and a pipe rested in his mouth. The smoke, however, spewed out of a small hole on the side of his face. "Ah...it's been quite some time, Kristel..." he growled. His accent was slightly that of a scotsman and he said her name with emphasis on the 'L'.

"Yes..." Kristel mumured, "Too long, eh, Davy Jones?" she smirked at the king of the oceans. The creature smirked as well, looking at his vicious crew. None of Kristel's had managed to make it off the ship in time. Davy Jones himself had salvaged her for his own reasons.

"You...have a debt to pay," he whispered, "I've been helping you find Jack Sparrow for five years. That was our agreement. And now," he grabbed her hand. It was cold and slimy. A tentacle wrapped itself around her wrist for a moment before jerking back with its owner. He then took his other hand, or claw as it were, and examined her face with it, "You will fufill your end of the bargain. Ten years of service on the Flying Dutchman." Kristel sighed.

"I'll admit," she began, "That I do owe you my soul for these next ten years. But how's about..." she got real close to his face, regardless of the smell that came from him, "I ransack and pillage every blessed town for you?" Davy jerked his head in her direction, with a sickening squealch.

"Material possessions do not..." he growled, making a popping noise with his lips, "pike my interest as much as your soul does. Now, either serve upon my ship or go down with the rest of your crew and your ship!" The Captain was fed up and he slammed his peg leg on the already decaying wood of the Flying Dutchman. A few of the crewman laughed darkly. Kristel shrugged her shoulders, then looked at the hand Davy Jones had touched. It was started to become covered with what looked like a barnacle.

"Fine then," she said simply. She looked at Davy as he clasped his hand over her mouth, the tentacle wrapping itself around her head and covering her eyes. She let out a soft groan as she felt her body shake once and then fall limp into Davy's grip. Her heart had become his, surrendered to the darkness and under the control of the King of the Sea.

At that precise moment, another being appeared on the docks of Port Royal...

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The two stood inside the foyer of the building. A priceless gem was resting in a glass case in the center. Two large marble staircases covered in a carpet that looked to be made out of satin. Lacey took her steps foreward, her eyes aglow. "I never thought it'd be this big!" she laughed. Pence smirked, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"I'll check the left side, you check the right. How's that?" he asked her, heading over to the left staircase. As if she had a choice, Lacey nodded and moved toward the right. It was a lot taller than she thought it was. The girl ran a hand along the railing. It was covered in dust. It was as if nobody had lived here for years. She reached the landing, looking over at Pence. He waved over to her and she could hear a small laugh come from him. Her eyes then met a door.

"I wonder where this goes..." she walked toward it, wrapping her fingers around the door handle and opening it. She stepped inside and looked around her in awe. It was a large library with a staircase leading downward. These stairs looked to be made of steel. Carefully, she followed them downward into a room in the floor of the library. The walls were made of metal and the light came from the glow of a single computer. However, there was one other door. Lacey took her first steps into it. This room was brightly lit up by many computer screens. There was also a small circular pad with the ceiling coming to a point above it. A light was on the tip, shining along with the screens. It flickered once or twice. As Lacey walked further in, she ran a hand along the wall. It was cold as ice. No dust had accumulated; this had to be new. Her footsteps echoed in the quiet room. The girl looked at the circular pad. She lifted a foot and stepped on it. At that moment, everything around her stopped. The hum of the computers, the echo of her footsteps. Everything. The girl then shook her head.

"I've been expecting you," whispered a voice. Lacey recognized it almost at once. It was the same voice as the one who had whispered to her at the train station. Everything around her looked the same. However, a man with long blue hair was standing behind her. He had a scar in the shape of an X that crossed over his nose. He was wearing a long black coat with chains across his neck and ones that dangled from the hood. The dangling chains had round ends on them.

"Who are you?" Lacey cried out, looking up. The light that was on above the pad had gone out. She then spun around entirely to view the man.

"My name is Saix," he began, "and I sense a pain in your heart." Lacey paused, then looked at the floor, "Yes. Would you like to escape that pain?" he asked her. The girl nodded slowly. He held out his hand, which she took. He then lifted up his other hand to create a swirling black cloud. Together, they stepped through into a large city. The moon was high above them. Lacey noticed something odd about it in an instant: it was shaped like a heart. Lacey then looked at Saix. "Surrender yourself...give your heart to darkness and to Kingdom Hearts...all your pains will be over then."

"How...how do you know?" she asked. Saix didn't answer, "Tell me!" she took her hand away from his and stomped her foot. The blue haired man looked at her darkly.

"A girl who whines will not get what she wants," the man crossed his arms over his chest, "Will you or will you not? I'm not afraid to take it by force," he growled. Lacey then paused. Saix looked the type who could inflict some serious damage. She then fell to her knees, looking up at him. For once, a smile appeared on his lips. "Good..." he whispered, placing a hand on her head. Lacey closed her eyes.

"I just want all the pain to go away..." she whispered. Saix nodded, as black fumes rose out of his hand. The girl began to get an empty feeling in the pit of her chest.

"It'll all be gone soon. Just let your heart become one with the darkness..." It wasn't long before Lacey's body fell limp. Something light and glowing floated above Saix's hand. Her heart was pure and untainted. "Amazing..." he whispered, "How could someone this pure...have so much pain?" The heart then floated out of his reach, towards the heart-shaped moon. When he looked down, he noticed that Lacey's body was replaced by another. She, like Lacey, had red hair. However, she was now dressed in something identical to Saix. She stood up, her eyes cold and distant.

"Why am I...here...?" she asked him. She didn't know who he was.

"A Nobody?" he mouthed. Saix shook his head, his blue hair swishing behind him, "Ah...your spirit was strong enough for a Nobody. Xemnas was right when he saw promise in you..." He turned his back and began heading toward a large castle that loomed up in the distance. "I'm sure our paths will cross once again...Elyxca." The girl shook her head.

"I don't need you. Or this 'Xemnas' that you mentioned," she turned her back to him and started heading toward a dark alley way. She then heard a thud. Her eyes went down to a boy wearing the same thing she was. He had long hair that rested on his back and she saw a glimmer of glasses that rested on his nose.

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"Man, what a wild ride," he whispered, looking down at himself. Although everything was familiar to him, it felt all so brand new. "Looks like Hades brought me back as a normal person," he laughed, looking around him. He was wearing a black cloak with a chain around his neck. Two chains dangled from latches located near his clavical. At the bottom of these chains were small, capsule shaped metal objects. "What am I? A house lamp?" he laughed, playing with one of the chains.

"No..." whispered a voice behind him. He turned, his dark blond hair swooping while it followed. Another being appeared from what looked like a ball of black smoke. He looked at this new person over his half-moon spectacles with his dashing blue eyes.

"And just who might you be, Gramps?" he asked. Indeed, this man did look odd. He was adorned in the same outfit as the boy, but he had long white hair that shot up near his forhead in three directions, "And what do you know about me?"

"My name is Xemnas," he whispered, "a Nobody much like yourself." A twisted smile appeared on this man's face, "Before you even ask, a Nobody is a being without a heart. When someone gives their heart to darkness, much like William did, and they had a strong spirit, a Nobody is created. You, my friend, are one of them." The boy took a moment to let all this sink in.

"But I am William. I didn't give my heart to the darkness. I merely--" Xemnas raised a hand to silence him.

"You are not. You are Maxiwill," he turned his back on him, "When you allowed Hades to take control of you, he turned you into what is called a Heartless, creatures with hearts that have been taken over by the darkness. Once that happened," he paused, looking Maxiwill over from his shoulder, "you were created."

"So, let me get this straight, old man," Maxiwill placed a hand on his chin, tapping his forefinger on his cheek, "I'm not William? Just his spirit?" Xemnas nodded firmly, "Are there others like us as well?"

"Countless. However," he smirked, "Only the strongest become what we are. Others merely become creatures with a shape that isn't worthy of being called 'human'. You were lucky enough to keep a human shape. But...You're a child..." Xemnas began taking his steps into the black cloud. Maxiwill clenched his teeth and his fist.

"What's THAT supposed to mean!" he barked out. However, Xemnas had disppeared into the black smoke and the cloud itself vanished. "OOOH!" he stomped his foot, "That makes me so angry! Walking out on me like that!" Maxiwill looked at his hand then at the spot the cloud had been just moments before, "I wonder..." the boy held his hand out. A cloud of black smoke appeared. A smile then formed on Maxiwill's lips and he walked through the portal. When he reached the other side, he fell onto his stomach, at the feet of a girl. He looked up at her and blinked.

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She shook her head, looking at the ocean below her. The girl then looked at her apparel. "These aren't my clothes!" she cried out. She was dressed in a tight fitting black cloak with chains dangling from her neck. She pulled on one, and it tightened the hood of the coat slightly. One chain wrapped across her neck and settled softly across her bosom. She then took a few steps back, only to bump into someone. A small squeak escaped her as she turned around to see who she touched. It was a man with bright red hair that jutted out behind his head. He had small markings under his emerald eyes. "Why, hello there, doll face," he smirked. The girl blinked. He was wearing something much like hers. The only difference is that his sleeves were very tight fitting as well.

"Who are you?" she asked him, tilting her head and examing him from top to bottom. She acted much like a girl in a candy store, taking her pick from the bin of lolipops.

"The name's Axel. And you are Lexstrik," he stated, "Got it memorized?" His voice had somewhat of an edge to it, but it was playful at the same time. The girl shook her head laughing.

"No...no..." she chuckled, "You've got it all wrong. My name is Kris--" she paused when Axel held up his hand.

"No, _you've _got it all wrong. That was your former self. When you dedicated your heart to ol' Chthulu, what was left of your soul and spirit formed you. Lexstrik. You're merely a Nobody," he explained. The girl paused, then ran a finger through a lock of hair that dangled in her face. It was the same as she remembered it; soft and smooth. It was still up in a bun. Then she noticed something odd; her hair wasn't the brilliant blonde it used to be. It was now a soft brown. "You'll figure it out. And now, I'll take my leave," he turned his back to her, a cloud of black fumes appearing.

"Wait!" she called, "Why did you come here?" her hand gripped his tightly, as if she didn't want him to go.

"I had come here to gather you for Xemnas. I'm sure you'll hear about him later," he smirked, "But you're just too cute to get involved with something like Organization XIII. Stay out of trouble now," Axel smirked, walking through the portal of smoke. However, Lexstrik wasn't the Nobody of a pirate for nothing. She jumped through the smoke just as it was disappearing from Port Royal. She felt herself land on cement, hard. When she looked up, Axel was gone. The girl looked about her surroundings, noticing people near by. He had long blonde hair that fell over his shoulders, down his back a few inches and a girl with red shoulder-length hair. They were both dressed like her and Axel. Quickly, she made her way toward them.


	2. Fateful Meeting! A Visit To The Bastion!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

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The boy stood up, brushing his shoulders and chest off. He then pushed his half-moon spectacles back up the bridge of his nose. He examined the red haired girl from the top of his glasses, running his eyes over her a few times before whistling. "My, my," he said simply. His ears then picked up the sound of footsteps. As he turned, the sounds slowed to a walk and then stopped. They belonged to a girl with soft brown hair, up in a bun. The bun was tied by an odd-looking symbol. It looked like a triangle on top, then came downward in a line. Two points jutted out from the sides of this bar. It then continued downward and curved out and up into what looked like the top of a heart. Shaking his head at the symbol, he then noticed that it was all over the town they were in. "Quite a city," he said, whistling once more.

"And just who might you be?" asked the red haired girl of the boy. He took a moment before turning his attention back to her. His eyes seemed to sparkle with a boyish charm.

"Well, everyone's been calling me Maxiwill. So, I guess that's what you could call me," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. The girl with brown hair cocked an eyebrow. He then studied the new girl, much like he had examined the first. However, he felt a swift smack to his left cheek. It caused his glasses to become askew. As he fixed them, he clicked his tongue. "Touchy, touchy..." he whispered to himself.

"Don't ogle me as if I'm some sort of..." she paused to think of the word, "_prize_!" Maxiwill shook his head, his long hair waving about.

"All right. No need to slap me again." He knew when someone didn't want to be bothered. He turned his back to them, looking at the lights of the city.

"And what might your name be?" the red haired girl inquired. The one with the bun looked at her for a moment before smiling brightly.

"Kri...I mean..." she thought for a moment. What was it that Axel had called her in Port Royal? "Lexstrik!" She laughed, clapping her hands together. At the sound of this clap, Maxiwill rolled his eyes a bit, the whisper of 'oh brother' being sighed. "What about you?" Lexstrik blinked.

"That man called me Elyxca," she explained. Maxiwill spun around, his cloak and hair following suit.

"Well!" he exclaimed, "Now that we're all acquainted, what do you suggest we do?" he crossed his arms over his chest, "It seems we're all Nobodies," he laughed. He noticed that the two girls were wearing the same clothes he was; a black cloak with chains around the neck, "And we're not as 'high-class' as those other ones." He spat on the ground, a small 'ugh' escaping the lips of Lexstrik. The boy ignored this sound and walked in between them.

"Excuse me for asking," piped up Elyxca, "but what do _you _know about all this?"

"Well, Elyxca..." he began, "When I was found in Olympus by Xemnas, he explained...though vaugley, what a Nobody is. We're beings without hearts, which were given up to the darkness. I doubt I know any more than you do."

"Well, I surely didn't know that!" Lexstrik said. Elyxca, on the other hand, was silent. She was tapping her foot on the ground and had her hand to her chin. She had heard that blue haired man mention 'Xemnas'. He had said that he saw 'great promise' in her as a Nobody. Yet she turned away from whatever this 'Xemnas' had to offer.

"Xemnas..." Elyxca whispered, "that man...he said that Xemnas saw great promise in me. What could that mean?" she tilted her head in thought and then closed her eyes. Maxiwill and Lexstrik both shrugged their shoulders.

"Come to think of it," Lexstrik said, "Axel mentioned him, too. Saying something about 'Xemnas' and a group called 'Organization XIII'." Maxiwill still stood silent. His foot was tapping in thought and his eyes were scanning the reflections of the lights in his glasses. There was a silence for about a minute or so before anyone said anything.

"Well, that must make me extra special!" Maxiwill laughed, turning around once more and slamming his fist into his opened palm, "This 'Xemnas' came and talked to me in person!" He smirked to himself, "Guess that means I had the best promise out of all us standing right here." He wore a triumphant smile that complimented the now heroic-looking pose he placed himself in. Lexstrik felt her hand twitch and Elyxca blinked at him. In a moment, Maxiwill felt himself on the ground, a foot being stomped onto his back.

"You're so full of yourself!" Lexstrik barked, stomping her leg upon his body.

"Ow! Stop! Ouch!" he cried out, "That really! OW! Hurts! _OWW!_" When she had stopped, the boy stood up and brushed himself off once more. He opened his mouth to say something when he paused. Someone was walking by. He quickly clasped a hand over the mouths of Lexstrik and Elyxca, and made a quick 'shh' noise. A man wearing the same black cloak walked in front of them quite briskly. When he held up his hand, a black cloud appeared. He stepped through and disappeared. "Hurry! Before it closes!" Maxiwill said. He broke into a run and walked through the portal.

"Well!" Lexstrik stomped her foot, "I am NOT going to take an order from someone like that!" She stuck her nose up in the air. Elyxca blinked at her.

"Listen, as much as we may not like him, Maxiwill has a point," she explained, "If we follow that guy, we may get some answers." A heavy sigh escaped Lexstrik as the two of them dashed off, making it through the portal just in time.

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They found themselves in an area much different than the bright city they were in before. A small sign on the stone wall bore the letters "Hollow Bastion". Maxiwill tilted his head at the sign, mouthing the name to himself. Just then, he felt two bodies crash into him. "Watch where you're goin!" he barked, turning around. It was Lexstrik and Elyxca. "Oh," he laughed, "So nice of you two to join me." He placed a finger to his lips, telling them to be quiet. He moved forward a bit, looking past a corner. He then turned his head. "That guy I followed is talking to some kid with spikey hair," he whispered, "This kid must have something to do with Organization XIII." The three listened intently on the conversation:

"I said get outta the way!" said the brown-haired boy. He wore an odd attire, his pants standing out above all else. On his body, he wore a blue shirt with a red pocket on the bottom. He had a black jacket covering him as well. It was cut short, stopping about the middle of his ribcage. It had silver shoulder pads, buttoned down to the sleeves themselves. His pants were black and poofy, with large red pockets. The pockets had black "X" shapes on them, possibly to compliment the yellow 'X' shape two belts made that crossed over his groin area. His shoes were big and yellow, rounded at the top. In his hands was a large silver key.

"As if!" said the hooded figure, "You can talk all you want, but that won't change a thing." Maxiwill  
noticed that his voice had somewhat of an odd tone to it. He turned to his two friends. "Guy sounds like a surfer, neh?" he smirked. They shushed him. "Then we're gonna MAKE you move!" squawked out a voice. This one was down with the spikey haired boy.  
Maxiwill had to rub his eyes for a moment. It was a duck! He wore a blue hat on the top of his head that  
had many zippers on it. On his body was a blue jacket, also equipped with zippers aplenty. 

"See, that would work---if I were just any old dude." He explained, "'Cept I'm not. I'm with the Organization. Nothin' 'any old' about me." He laughed at bit at this. The boy then took a step foreward.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, "Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did the fighting!" The hooded man then laughed once more.

"Oh, dear. I think you got the wrong impression," he waved a finger at the boy wearily, as if warning him not to tread into deeper water. Maxiwill didn't hear what the boy had said. It was rather a short sentence, but he believed he heard the word 'cry' in it. At the rate the conversation was going, it didn't seem as if they were going to get any answers out of them about Organization XIII. The three Nobodies took a step back when they heard the duck scream out. Maxiwill shook his head.

"It's probably nothing. That guy probably just got them angry," he said, taking one last look at the boy. He then noticed a third member to the party; a tall and lanky looking creature with floppy ears. He wore a khaki hat and large red goggles. He had a muzzle with a round nose on the end of it. He had to strain his eyes, but Maxiwill saw two large buck teeth on him as well. He wore a green, turtle-neck sweater with a black vest. This being also wore yellow pants and had large shoes, much like his spikey haired companion. A large shield was clenched in his right hand. Lexstrik looked at the three when Maxiwill had started walking away, into the view of the three. She then realized where he was.

"What are you doing!" she hissed, "Get back here!" she stomped her foot. Elyxca smiled and followed the boy out into the open. The brown haired boy at the bottom of the steps turned to get a glimpse of the two cloak wearers.

"Look!" exclaimed the tallest one, "It's more members of Organization XIII!" The duck jumped and ruffled his feathers a bit, spinning a wand with a hat on the end of it around his fingers.

"You want to fight?" barked out the Keybearer. Maxiwill shook his head and laughed. Lexstrik decided to run in as well. The boy with the key took a step back, clenching his weapon in his hand a little bit tighter. "And...who are you three?" Maxiwill looked at his two companions.

"I could ask the same about you," he crossed his arms over his chest and laughed, "I've seen some odd things in my life. Flaming chariots, talking bushes...even a half-man half-goat. But you," he pointed at the boy, "take the cake. Running around with a key?" He chortled once more.

"It's the Keyblade!" exclaimed the duck.

"Keyblade?" Elyxca repeated, "Doesn't look like much of a blade." She shook her head. Lexstrik then examined the three at the bottom of the bailey.

"Yep!" laughed the tall one, "Sora's been chosen by the Keyblade to save the worlds from dark---" he had an elbow shoved into his side by the duck, "Now, Donald what was that for?" he cried, rubbing his side.

"You don't go and tell the enemy what we're doing!" the duck growled. Sora, the boy with the key, continued staring at the three.

"What're you staring at?" Maxiwill asked, looking behind him and then back at Sora.

"You three," he laughed, shouldering his Keyblade, "Don't look like much of a threat. And it seems as if you don't even know what Organization XIII wants. Are you sure you're not just some imposters?"

"Why you---!" the long haired Nobody growled. Elyxca grabbed Maxiwill by the shoulder to hold him back, "We may not be Organization XIII, but we'll wipe the floor with you!" He growled. Then it hit him; they really didn't know what Organization XIII was after. What did being a Nobody prove? Were they really that different? Lexstrik and Elyxca seemed to get the hint as well. Sora and his friends turned their backs.

"We'll cross paths again, I'm sure!" Lexstrik annouced.

"And be ready. Next time, you won't be so lucky," Elyxca said. Sora simply ignored them. Although he was angry, Maxiwill kept himself from jumping the boy. He lifted up his hand and opened a cloud of dark smoke. The three stepped through, back into the city they had left previously.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So that's it, huh?" Maxiwill sighed, sitting on the curb of a street and placing his cheek in his hand, "We just wonder aimlessly?" Elyxca took his right side, Lexstrik his left. It was somewhat of a depressing sight to behold. Three people sitting in a group on the side of the street. Nobody else was around. The silence was deafening. Their ears picked up on even the slightest change in the speed of the wind. The three sat in silence for a moment or two before Lexstrik smiled.

"Wait...Axel," she said simply. Elyxca looked past the boy and cocked an eyebrow at the girl. Fixing her bun, she stood up, "The guy I met in Port Royal. He seemed nice and he also seemed to know a bit about Organization XIII." She jumped in her spot a bit, happy by her thought. However, she got the hint when she noticed the blank stares on her two friends faces, "Don't you get it? If I can find Axel, I could probably get him to tell me about Organization XIII!"

"Do you really think it would be that easy?" Elyxca asked. Maxiwill still looked down in the dumps, so he sat silently listening to the conversation unfold, "I mean, if he's got an inside scoop, he's probably a member himself. Why would he tell you their secrets and plans?" Lexstrik shook her head, her left eye becoming covered by a lock of hair that dangled in front of her face.

"No!" she laughed, "When Axel came to get me, he decided against it. Said I was 'too cute' to be involved with Organization XIII. Maybe he'll tell me more if I asked nicely." Maxiwill shook his head.

"I think Elyxca hit the nail on the head," he explained. "You're getting ahead of yourself, Lexstrik." The girl stomped her foot.

"I don't think you get it!" she groaned, taking her seat by him, "Why won't you believe me?"

"Maxi has his reasons not to believe you," Elyxca said softly, "Face it. Since none of us know what Organization XIII could want, he's just worried that he could lie to you. And then we all end up getting hurt in the process." The three of them all sighed collectively.

"There's no way this Axel guy will---" he was cut off when a man with striking red hair and emerald green eyes stood before them. He appeared almost out of thin air; a swirling black cloud rested behind him. He had cleared his throat when he had appeared.

"'No way this Axel guy will' what?" he crossed his arms, smirking.


	3. Hot Headed Story! A Mysterious World!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lexstrik smiled at the appearance of the man. Maxiwill and Elyxca, on the other hand, gave off an air of disapproval. Axel shrugged his shoulders. "Fine," he said, "Doesn't look like I'm wanted much anywhere." He turned to leave, yet he paused when he felt his hand tugged on by someone. The red haired man looked over his shoulder to see the top of a girl's head. Lexstrik gripped his hand a little tighter.

"Don't go yet!" she cried. Maxiwill stood up, stretching his arms out. The boy then pushed his half moon spectacles up the bridge of his nose.

"Lexstrik says you know something about Organization XIII." There was an affirmative nod from Axel. A smirk appeared on both men's lips, "Care to fill us in?" At this question, the man shook his head.

"I'm sure you'll find out on your own," he said. Maxiwill clenched his fist at this, and then laughed a bit.

"See ladies?" he said, looking from Lexstrik to Elyxca, "I was right. Axel isn't going to say anything. Maybe he doesn't know anything." The boy crossed his arms across his chest, staring daggers at the person opposite him. Lexstrik let go of Axel's hand and stepped in front of Maxiwill.

"It'll just take some more persuasion!" she hissed, "Let me give it a try," she turned around to look at Axel. However, Elyxca already started to talk to him.

"Please," she said, "we just want to know what Organization XIII wants! We're all Nobodies here, right?" she looked at the three others.

"Axel..." Lexstrik whispered, "you said in Port Royal that I was too cute to be involved with Organization XIII. It's too late now," she crossed her arms over her chest, "I'm involved and I want answers." The red-haired man shrugged his shoulders.

"You three are quite a trip," he laughed, "All right. Well, let me explain the best I can..."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

There was an alarm blaring in the home of a magician in Hollow Bastion. A man with blonde hair and quite a lot of stubble sat at the computer, typing away swiftly on the keyboard. Two people burst through the door. One was a tall man, with brown hair that rested on his shoulders. He had a scar across his face. Fur from his jacket tickled his cheeks. The other was a girl with black hair. She was rather short compared to the man. She wore a black shirt with flower print, along with a gray vest. For pants, the girl had very short khaki shorts. The rest of her legs were covered by boots that came up to her mid theigh. "Cid!" the man barked, standing next to him, "What's going on?" His voice was somewhat demanding, even in a natural setting. However, there was a tinge of panic in his voice. This alarm hadn't gone off before.

"Just give me a second," the man named Cid growled, continuing to type on the computer. The alarm stopped, "All right, that should be it," he said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Almost gave me a heart attack," he said with a southern drawl, "burstin' through that door like that, Leon."

"When Yuffie," he said, pointing at the girl, "heard the alarm, we rushed here as fast as we could. What was it?"

"A world signing in an SOS. Can't say _we _can do much, though," he ran his thumb across his nose, "That spikey haired boy with the key's gotta do it. It's been over run by Heartless." A gasp escaped the girl.

"But Sora isn't here!" she cried out, "Do you know what world it was?" Cid slid back into his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. He shook his head.

"Nothin' I've ever seen before. Big ol' ring. Metal outside, land on the inside," the man laughed.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So..." Elyxca mumbled, sitting back on the curb and staring at the cement, "Organization wants to complete this 'Kingdom Hearts' to have hearts of their own?" She looked at Axel for a moment, then back at the pavement.

"That's it in a nutshell," the man told her. Lexstik and Maxiwill stood thinking.

"And they don't think we're good enough for this?" Lexstrik asked. Axel shook his head.

"No, no. Xemnas found promise in all three of you. It's just that..." he pointed at Elyxca, "Saix didn't tell you the whole story. Yes, he sensed great promise. But," he continued, "Xemnas is afraid of you." The girl looked up and blinked. "And you," he pointed at Lexstrik, "he would like to have you in Organization XIII. Yet, I don't. It was my duty to scoop you up and I refused to bring you back." His gaze turned to Maxiwill, who was fidgeting with his glasses. "Xemnas thinks you're too childish. Anyone can see that." The boy paused, looking at Axel.

"I'm not a child!" he barked, stomping his foot on the pavement. The three others laughed.

"I see what you mean," Elyxca smiled. The boy crossed his arms over his chest and put his nose up in the air. He walked swiftly past Axel and sat down on the curb, next to Elyxca.

"Aww, is baby gonna cry?" Lexstrik teased. The boy unfolded his arms, placing them on the cement. His hand came into contact with Elyxca's, in which he then quickly pulled his hand back. Instead, he rested his hand across his knees. Maxiwill looked at Lexstrik and Axel.

"Well, we've got all we wanted out of you," he smirked, "You cna go now." He shooed him away with his hand. Axel shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure we'll see each other again," he said to the three. He held up his hand and faded back into the darkness.Lexstrik took a seat next to Maxiwill.

"So, now that we know what Organization XIII wants..." she began, "should we try and get hearts too?" All three of them nodded.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Where are we?" Sora whispered, looking around. Their mode of transportation, the GummiShip, lay on a soft patch of grass. The front of it was busted up pretty badly. "We've never been here before," he looked up at the sky. Above him were white clouds and clear blue skies. One thing was weird though; it looked as if there was an entire group of islands floating above him. The tallest looked around a bit. "What do you think, Goofy?"

"Well," he said. His voice sounded a bit slow, "before we crashed, I noticed that this world looked like a big ring." Before he could continue, they heard something click. Sora turned around on his heel, his Keyblade materializing. Goofy held up his shield and Donald gripped his wand. Before them stood what they thought was a half-giant. He was much taller than any of them. He was wearing green armor that covered his entire body. Upon his head was a green helmet with an orange visor. He was broad chested and broad shouldered. The man had a pistol in his hand. He lowered it when he noticed Sora's Keyblade.

"Who are you?" Sora demanded, clutching his Keyblade, "You shouldn't go around pointing things like that at innocent people!" The man lifted it back up and fired. The three heard a thud behind them. Donald looked over his shoulder to see a creature lying on the ground. It had a narrow head and its mouth was broken up into four sections. It was large in itself, like the man who fired. It had blue armor coating its scalely body.

"Is that a Heartless!" Goofy exclaimed, blinking at the creature.

"I'm not sure what these 'Heartless' are," said the man. His voice was somewhat eerie. It was deep and wheezy, yet it gave off the impression that he was a strong man, "but that isn't a 'Heartless'."

"T-Then..." Sora whispered, looking slowly back at the man in green armor, "what was it?"

"We call them 'Elites', part of the alien race of the Covenant," he walked past them, picking up its body. He gripped it tightly around the neck, and threw it into a nearby river. Sora gulped, thinking that this wasn't a world they really wanted to be on.

"You seem to know a lot about this world..." Donald said, "Where exactly are we?" The man rolled his shoulders back and relaxed his neck before looking at the three.

"You are on what is known as...Halo."


	4. Ally In the Twilight? Maxiwill Fights!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if we're gonna beat Organization XIII to getting a heart," he stood up, clenching his fists. A fire of desire burned in him, and his eyes shone with a boyish charm, "We may as well start now!" He looked over his shoulder at Elyxca and Lexstrik, who slowly stood up with him. The boy ran a hand through his gold hair and held out his hand. At this motion, a swirling black cloud appeared before him. As it swirled around, small sparks of purple lightning could be seen flashing about inside. Taking one last look at them, Maxiwill took a step forward. "Don't you two do anything fun while I'm away," he laughed. He entered the darkness. The smoke disappeared from the girls view in small whisps until it was no more. Lexstrik looked at Elyxca and sighed.

"Well, I'm not sure about you," she began, walking away from the site, "but I'm not going to wait around until he gets back." She held up her hand as well, a cloud much like before appearing. Elyxca gripped her hand.

"I'll go with you," she said. A soft smile came from the brown haired girl. Together, they took their steps into the darkness.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

He looked around in the darkness surrounding him. Everything was cold and quiet. He looked down at his hands then over his shoulder. There was a small flickering light. Maxiwill jumped up excitedly and ran over to it. After what felt like an eternity, his hand clasped around the light. In an instant, he felt himself blinded. He shut his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth. Everything around him began to swirl. It was something he felt before, when he had followed the other Organization members. Yet, since he was by himself, it was something exhilirating. He then felt himself stop, landing on a patch of grass. The boy looked up around him. He was standing beside a large metal structure. A soft crackle of fire echoed around him. Suddenly, he heard a loud _whoosh_. Maxiwill looked up to see a blue fireball shooting upward into the sky. It was a beacon. Slowly, he headed up the ramp to the top of the structure where the fire was being created. He then saw two creatures walking side by side. One was tall, wearing gold armor on his body. Maxiwill could see its scaley skin underneath it. It was taller than he, and much taller than the other creature. This smaller one had what looked like a gas mask on its face. Maxiwill took a step forward, and they immediatly turned to face him. They drew weapons. The tall one had a long, flashing sword in its hand. It was round at the bottom, then moved forward to a point. It sparked dangerously. The small one, however, had a weapon that didn't seem so threatening. It was small, shaped like the letter C. At the points it was glowing a soft green.

"Destroy the human!" the small one squeaked. A glowing green ball formed at the end of the gun, while the tall creature ran toward him with the sword at his side. Maxiwill held up his hands and pushed, as if pushing them away. A strong rush of wind pushed them down to the ground. The green ball fired into the air, alongside the blue flame that had just gone back into the sky. However, this green orb exploded into a green gas and discipated. Maxiwill looked at his hands and smirked.

"Well, will you look at that?" he snapped his fingers, thinking something else would happen. Sure enough, tongues of black smoke wrapped themselves around the golden creature and gripped the hands of the small one. At this point, the taller creature dropped its weapon, it flashing brightly on the ground. The boy strode over and picked it up to examine it closer. The handle was made of a very strong metal, curved to hold a hand comfortably. Heat seemed to emit from the weapon as well. The boy gripped the handle tightly, the sword disappearing in a flash. He was quite taken aback by this. "What might this be?" he looked at the gold creature.

"I will never answer a question from a human..." it growled. There was the sound of a loud shock. Maxiwill held the sparking sword up to the neck of the creature. "Kill me. I have failed my race..." he whispered. This creature had a very deep voice, something that Maxiwill wouldn't have wanted to meet in a dark alley. The boy placed a hand on the creature's chest, wisps of black smoke appearing where his hand had touched. The tall creature began to scream in agony, as if his touch was hurting him.

"If you can walk and talk, you must have a heart?" he smirked, looking at the smaller creature. It was trembling in fright. Maxiwill then looked at the sword in his hand. He let go of the gold one and then raised the sword high above his head.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So," Sora began, "What's your name?" Sora put his hands hands behind his head, as if he was enjoying the walk. The sound of a waterfall could be heard in the distance. It was a very soothing sight, regardless of the eerie stillness.

"I am known as the Master Chief," the green one began, "part of a project known as the Spartan Project. I am the last of the Spartans. Spartan 117." Goofy looked at him with his head tilted.

"What happened to the other 116?" he asked, a hand on his chin. The Master Chief stopped, looking at the gun in his hand.

"They are..." the man clenched the handle of the pistol tightly, "MIA. Missing in action." There was a snapping of a twig. Immediatly, Sora and the Spartan turned around, brandishing their weapons. Three small black creatures appeared from behind a tree. They were about three feet tall with round heads and beady yellow eyes. Atop their heads were small black antennae.

"The Heartless!" Sora exclaimed. At this, many more started appearing. More of the small Shadows, but a different one as well. It was slightly taller than the Shadows. They wore what looked like blue jumpsuits with a black heart with red stitches across it. On their heads were metal helmets, worn by knights. Sora gripped his keyblade tighter. He had taken on enemies like this before, but he wondered how the Spartan would take it. He lifted up his pistol and fired a few times at the small Shadow. It burst into a puff of black smoke.

"These are Heartless?" the man said, smirking from under his helmet, "They're not so tough." He fired a few more shots before pulling a clip from his belt and reloading the gun. Goofy hurled the round shield he carried, watching it cut through a Shadow and a Knight, having them disappear just like the first. Sora dashed forward, bringing the Keyblade down on a foe. Donald lifted his wand, bolts of lighting raining from the sky and striking a few of the Heartless.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The two females arrived in a large town. The sun was setting and everything had an orange glow to it. Elyxca let go of Lexstrik's hand as they appeared into the town. The girl looked around. Something about this place bugged her immensely. It was all eeriely familiar. Although, she was sure she had never been here before. Lexstrik examined her surroundings as well. Her eye was caught by the massive clocktower. "Wow..." she whispered. The girl looked at Elyxca, who was staring at a group of people that were talking amongst themselves. She headed in their direction. "Elyxca!" Lexstrik called, running over to her. The two girls reached the group of four. Two boys, a girl, and a small one who was hidden under a rather large hat. They guessed the one with the white coat and beanie was their 'leader', because the girl whispered something to him that made him turn to them.

"Well well!" he smirked. He had a scar across his nose. He crossed his arms as he examined the two girls, "You look just like that one guy who came through here earlier."

"Really?" Lexstrik whispered. Her first thoughts were Organization XIII, "and who are you?"

"The name's Seifer. I'm the leader of this group here. We're the big boys of Twilight Town," he nodded his head in the direction of the three behind him, "If you're with the Goth Coat Club, the guy went that way." He jabbed his thumb to the right. Lexstrik nodded and left them behind. Elyxca, however, stayed. Something about this boy...had she seen him before? Everything about the four of them was so vaguely familiar, she thought it was just a coincidence. Yet she had never seen them before, had she?

"Elyxca!" the other cloak wearer said. Immediatly, she snapped out of it, running to her companion. Together, they combed the streets of this town. It was about another fifteen minutes before Elyxca stopped and tugged on Lexstrik's hood. She turned to look at the girl before realizing why she stopped. A boy walking in front of them was wearing the cloak of Organization XIII. His hood was down. From the distance, his hair was the only thing that could be described. It was a dull blue, jutting out from the back of his head. It spiked upward. He had two tongues of hair dangling in front of his eyes. He must have seen them; he stopped as well. At that moment, the three of them collected into a small group.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "This just isn't that fun anymore," he sighed. The boy walked away from a collection of creatures that had started piling up. Most of them were just the same breeds as the ones he had handled when he first arrived, but a new breed had made an appearance to him. They were small with long noses. They also had a fan of skin on the top of their heads, giving the appearance of a mohawk. Their necks looked like turkey necks. These had wrinkly skin, too. Not the fine scales that the bigger creatures had. The boy turned a corner, landing on the other side of the structure. A river ran beside the building and dropped down a hill. Looking over the hill, he noticed four figures. Since he was too far, Maxiwill couldn't quite make out who or what they were. Were they more of those creatures? Or could it possibly be something else? He sat on the edge of the structre, his feet dangling from the side. He decided to wait until they came to him. A small rush of wind ruffled his hair. Maxiwill then blinked at his hands. "If I could do that..." he whispered, "What else could I do?" he closed his eyes. Wind began to flow all around him, his hair whipping around in all directions. He clapped his hands together once. The wind that was swirling became focused and shot toward a tree sitting below him. It blew the leaves directly off the tree, and some of the branches broke. He opened his eyes and smirked. "Wow!" he laughed.

Sora looked up. "Did you hear that?" he asked the group, "It sounded like...wood breaking." the boy gripped the Keyblade, running in the direction of the sound. His eyes met with splintered wood that lay sprawled in all directions. Leaves rested in the grass beside him, yet the closest tree was no less than ten feet away. The spartan approached Sora, along with Goofy and Donald.

"Who's that?" asked the giant. Donald squinted. Goofy did as well, but he seemed to know who it was before any of them.

"Isn't that the guy from Hollow Bastion?" he said, putting a hand on his forehead to keep the sun out of his eyes. Sora squinted as well, shouldering his Keyblade and running up the hill to the metal structure. Sure enough, it was. The keybearer stopped dead in his tracks. The Master Chief and the others approached him.

"Well well, if it isn't Sir Poofy Pants!" Maxiwill laughed, standing up, "How've you been?" he crossed his arms over his chest. The Spartan held up the pistol, aiming it directly at the Nobody. The trigger was pulled and the bullet was fired. Quickly, the Nobody snapped his fingers. A rush of wind lifted him upward, dodging the bullet narrowly. "Someone's a bit grumpy today!" he growled.

"Who are you, anyway!" Donald squwaked. The duck gripped the wand in his hand.

"Wow, you don't know?" the boy sighed, drumming his fingers on his forearm, "I'm Maxiwill." He jumped from the structure, landing on the grass softly. His coat flaired behind him, "It seems like we'll be running into each other a lot more often, eh?" he asked Sora.

"I'd like it better if we didn't..." he growled. The Nobody frowned, staring daggers at the boy. However, he said nothing. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders and started walking toward the ramp back up to the structure. "Don't you ignore us!" Sora growled, pointing at the Nobody with his free hand. The Spartan followed him up the ramp. Wide eyed, Sora followed. Maxiwill jumped slightly, dashing up the ramp to get away from them.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So, who are you?" Elyxca asked this new boy.

"I'm Njustix," he said simply. He exmained the two a bit closer, scratching his cheek as he thought, "So, you two are part of Organization XIII?" he asked. Lexstrik shook her head.

"We were turned away," she said, "Not that we care. Right, Elyxca?" The second girl nodded happily. Njustix shook his head.

"That's quite a shame," he said, "I'm hoping to join their ranks. Collecting hearts for Xemnas to get him to notice who I am," he smirked. Elyxca and Lexstrik paused. There was that name again. Xemnas was starting to become quite the popular one, "Maybe when that happens, I'll be part of Organization XIII."

"I doubt that Xemnas will care one way or another how his hearts are collected," Lexstrik said. She was starting to like him less and less with every word that spilled out his mouth, "At least from the way Axel told us." Njustix shrugged. Elyxca blinked at the two. "I doubt he even knows you exist." At this statement, the blue haired boy gripped his slieeve.

"He'll notice! Just you wait!" he barked, "I'll be part of Organization XIII!" He stomped his foot.

"He's a lot like Maxiwill..." Elyxca whispered into Lexstrik's ear. The girls then began laughing at this statement. The male growled to himself, thinking that they were laughing at him. In a rage, he held up his hand and disappeared into a black cloud. The girls blinked at the spot he had left from. A small tongue of black smoke was left behind before it slowly disappeared into a cloud and disappeared. They then laughed a bit more before Elyxca held up her hand to create a swirling black vortex. Together, the two females stepped through; nothing else had interested them in Twilght Town any longer.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill approached the pile of bodies he had made. Sora let out a gasp while the Spartan let out a laugh. "Those things are worse than Heartless, Sora," he explained, "but why he did it, I'd like to know."

"It was for fun. I was hoping I could extract a heart from one of them," he picked up one of the larger bodies.

"He took out an Elite!" Sora exclaimed. The Master Chief pointed at the bottom of the pile, then upwards. The pile was about to Maxiwill's shoulder.

"It looks like he took out plenty of them. Grunts and Jackals, too." Growling, Sora ran at Maxiwill with the Keyblade held out in front of him. He merely yawned at this, clapping his hands together once more. The body fell back onto the pile. Wind blew Sora back, smacking him against the chest of the Master Chief. Maxiwill lifted up the same body once more. It must not have been completely finished; he heard a small growl come from it.

"Come now, Sora..." Maxiwill sighed, "You can't tell me you honestly care about these creatures?" he threw the body to the feet of the two heroes. Goofy and Donald had just arrived at the scene, looking as the Nobody talked to the Spartan and Sora.

"They...they didn't do anything!"

"So? I wanted to find if they had hearts. Took me a while to figure out they couldn't have any. Would that make them Nobodies?" he asked him, "because they don't have hearts! You don't like the way I work...yet you're willing to defend these creatures? Creatures whom HE--" he pointed at the Spartan, "doesn't seem to be a fan of? You're sure an enigma, kid..." Maxiwill sighed. He then lifted his hand into the air. Darkness poured from his palm and became part of the wind itself. The wind then swirled up the pile of Elites and other aliens. The bodies swirled together, some colliding with each other. Darkness enveloped the aliens, the wind still whirling about them madly. When the darkness cleared, a monster that was fused from bits and pieces of the others emerged. It had the same symbol on its forehead as the Knights had on their chests. A black heart, curved at the bottom, then returning to a point. The symbol had bright red stitches down the middle, creating an X in the center of it. Sora gasped, Goofy and Donald jumped in fright and the Master Chief stood his ground.

"He turned them into a Heartless!" Donald cried out, jumping up. Sora gripped the Keyblade a little bit tighter.

"You'd be willing to take the lives of innocent creatures...just to find a heart!" the boy barked, "Why don't you just...disappear!"

"Sora, it pains me to hear you say that!" Maxiwill joked, "It just breaks my heart!" He then paused, placing his hand on his chin. A light laugh escaped him. "Now wait..." he laughed a little louder, "I don't HAVE ONE!" his laugh become a cackle as he lifted himself with the wind to the top of the Heartless. His howls of laughter echoed through the structure itself. The Heartless was large; it towered above Sora and the Spartan. It walked on its hind legs, much like an Elite, but there were six of them. Arms from Grunts jutted out in directions all over its body and the fans of skin from the Jackals crowned the Heartless. It was a dull puke green color, mixed with shades of blue and black all round its body. A large mouth made from the helmets of fallen Elites roared loudly, a long serpent-like tongue rolling out."Now then!" Maxiwill laughed, "Let's get this started! Time to play a game I like to call...Stomp the Sora!" At this, the Heartless jumped into the air. Quickly, the Spartan grabbed Sora by his hood and rolled out of the way. He unclipped another gun from his belt; this one was small and black. When he pulled the trigger, bullets sprayed from it quickly. Sora took his Keyblade and began to fire cold blocks of ice from it. Donald lifted the wand and began raining thunder down upon the monster. Goofy, on the other hand, ran full force, jumping into the Heartless' face. He began to attack it mercilessly with the shiled. Sora then look at the Spartan.

"Ready?" he asked. The Spartan nodded. Together, the two began to attack full force to the creature. Sora, firing ice from his Keyblade and the Master Chief drowning it in bullets. The creature let out a roar, jumping into the air again. He landed on the ground with a thud. The small arms of the Grunts swiped angirly at Goofy, knocking him back to the ground. He landed hard against the metal, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"Gawrsh, that smarts..." he whispered. All the while, Maxiwill stood on the top of the monster, laughing into the sky. Sora ran toward the Heartless, knocking its six legs out from under it with his Keyblade. There was a loud crash as it fell. Maxiwill wobbled for a moment, before regaining his balance and looking down at Sora.

"What're you doing!" he growled. The Master Chief then looked up.

"The beacon," he whispered, "We'll throw it into the beacon!" The armored man ran toward the creature with surprising speed, grabbing its legs. The armor itself must have aided in his strength. With a bit of a struggle, he managed to start lifting the monster.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Maxiwill stomped on the head of his creation. It let out a roar. The monster's long tongue lashed out, reaching behind its own legs to knock the Master Chief away. Sora growled, looking at the beacon, then at the Heartless.

"I think I've got it..." he whispered. He looked at his Keyblade, then at the Spartan, "Master Chief! When it jumps, follow my lead!" Although he was reluctant, the man nodded. The Nobody was too busy laughing to hear this. At a snap of his fingers, the monster jumped into the air. "Now!" Sora commanded. He ran toward the Spartan, jumping up. 117 knew instinctivly to grab the boy and throw him up higher. Following suit, Goofy and Donald jumped. To join in, the armored one picked a round object from his belt. Together, Sora, Goofy and Donald began to assault the Heartless, trying to knock it toward the beacon's flame. Maxiwill looked as his creation was being moved to the blue flames. There wasn't anything he could do, other than clap his hands and blow them away. However, the Master Chief remained on the ground. He threw the object into the air. A loud explosion was heard through out the entire area. The water in the river shook. Maxiwill fell from the creature, heading straight toward the metal structure. He softened the landing by allowing the wind to lift him up slowly before striking it. He stood up, staring as his beloved Heartless was being knocked around like a child's play toy.

"No! No! _Noo!_" he cried out. The Spartan threw one more grenade. With the help of the explosion and one final smack with the Keyblade, the creature was thrown into the blue flames. Its roars of pain and cries of anguish were loud and clear to all five of them. Goofy and Donald cheered happily and Sora gave a triumphant thumbs up. The Spartan, however, merely stared at the fire blankly. Nobody could see that under the helmet, he wore a soft smile. Something he hadn't done in a while.

"Looks like we beat your little pet!" Sora exclaimed, staring at Maxiwill. He was looking at the metal in disbelief.

"You may have won this time, you punk! But the game isn't over!" He growled, holding up his hand. A swirling black cloud appeared behind him, "Next time, I'll bring something even bigger. And you won't have your armor clad buddy here to help you!" At this, the Master Chief lifted up another grenade, tossing it up and down in his hands. The Nobody gulped and ran through the portal.

"Were you actually going to throw it?" Sora asked as the cloud disappeaered.

"No," he said simply, "it's a dud." The group laughed together on the metal structure, the faint groans of the Heartless finally dying away.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"OOH!" the boy groaned, returning to the city he and his comrades began to call home, "That kid makes me so angry!" he fumed. Lexstrik and Elyxca looked at him oddly.

"What boy?" they asked together.

"That...Sora brat!" Maxiwill roared, "He happened to be on the world I went to, just as I was trying to find a heart! And wouldn't you know he had little buddies to protect him, too!" He sat down on the curb with a huff and a rather large frown on his face.

"It's okay," Elyxca said, "you tried, right?"

"Yeah..." he sighed, "Well, who's gonna try to find a heart now?" he asked, looking at the two, "Lexstrik? Would you fancy a try?" The girl nodded. "All right, then. Let's just hope that Sora and his little palies aren't there when you arrive."

"I can handle some kid, a dog, and a duck, Maxi. Thank you," she held up her hand to create another black cloud, "Just because you can't doesn't mean none of us can. See you in a few," she disappeared into the darkness. Maxiwill looked at Elyxca, who was staring at the spot Lexstrik had just left from.

"You couldn't even beat a child with a Key..." she whispered, laughing to herself. Instead of getting angry, however, Maxiwill nodded at this.

"There's something about him. I can't quite put my finger on it. But," he eyed her until she looked at him, "I'm certain this won't be the last we see of him."


	5. Stolen Red Rose! Lexstrik's Turn!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart **

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The four returned to the crash site of Sora's vessle, the GummiShip. The Keyblade weilder sighed, looking at the dissarray of his ship. The front of it was the most damaged, having a large chunk missing from the nose. It was crushed in a bit on the top and one of the wings was snapped in half. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking at it hopelessly. "Looks like it'll be a while before we get off this world," he whispered. The Master Chief looked at him oddly, then at the ship. There was another object laying in the grass beside the multi-colored GummiShip. It was one solid gray color, a bit dull. The window was shattered and bodies remained lifeless inside. The Spartan approached it.

"This is the vessle I was in," he said, "when I crashed here. We could probably use parts of this evacuation ship for yours." He ripped a large plate from the nose of the vehicle. Goofy tilted his head, then walked over to the gray ship. He snatched up part of the snapped wing that lay wasting beside it.

"But we have no tools to rebuild it!" Sora cried. A chuckle escaped from under the helmet of the armored man.

"There's more to this suit of armor than just guns and grenades, Sora." And with that, he set to work. Goofy handed him the wing, while Donald helped remove the plate that was crushed in slightly.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill started pacing back and forth, his arms crossed behind his back. Elyxca sat on the curb, looking at him walk back and forth. It was deafeningly silent in that city. The occasional raindrop would disturb their silence with its soft dropping into a puddle. Then the boy stopped, looking up at the sky. A droplet of water fell onto his glasses. He winced at this. "Sit down," a voice said softly. Maxiwill looked to see Elyxca blinking at him. He pulled his half-moon spectacles from his face and sat down beside her. The two were silent as he cleaned the water from the lense with the sleeve of his cloak. As he slipped them back onto his nose, he looked at the girl.

"So," he started, "What can we do while she's away?" He stretched his legs out and tapped the front of his feet together, much like a small child. Elyxca shrugged.

"Lexstrik and I went to Twilight Town," she said, "but I don't think you'd want to go anywhere. Tired from that whooping that Sora gave you?" Maxiwill's mouth twitched a bit at this.

"No!" he said loudly, "I'd just...like to rest, is all." He bent his right leg so that he could rest his arm on his knee. Elyxca nodded.

"Yeah, sure," she laughed. The boy closed his eyes halfway and gave her an odd look. The two returned to silence. It was weird; they both seemed the type to want to engage in a conversation, yet they both sat quietly in the city. There was a clap of thunder that made Maxiwill jump slightly. A small whimper escaped him when it died away. "What's the matter?" Elyxca asked him.

"Thunder," he said, "Not exactly my favorite thing." He felt a chill run down his spine. His body shook for a moment before he leaned forward and hugged his legs to his chest. "When I was little, a thunder bolt shot across the sky and hit a tree. When I saw that tree catch fire, I've been afraid of it since." Maxiwill moved his glasses up when he felt them sliding down.

"You seem to know a lot about who you were before..." Elyxca whispered, "I can't seem to remember anything..."

"Can you guess why?" Maxiwill asked her. She shook her head. "Odd," he stated, "Lexstrik and I seem perfectly able to remember who we were. I wonder why you can't." Elyxca shrugged her shoulders. The boy could tell that she wanted to know why herself, but right now wasn't a time to ponder that question. There wasn't anyone around to answer such a question; Maxiwill didn't know and the man who took her heart, Saix from what Elyxca told them, wasn't around either. So, together they sat. Once more, their ears falling prey to the silence.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lexstrik appeared in front of a large castle. It had many towers, each topped with a cone that pierced the night sky. Its large marble staircase that led to the front door was magnificent. The girl took her first steps onto the staircase, running her hand along the orb that adorned a small pedastle before the steps. Once she reached the top, her eyes fell straight on the mahagony door. Clearly, it was locked. This castle didn't look very inviting. The quietness of it proved this. Lexstrik ran her hand along the gold handle and pulled. Sure enough, it didn't budge. She placed a hand on her chin. "Well, isn't this quiet the conundrum?" she whispered. An idea struck her. Slowly, she placed her hand on the door again and shut her eyes. A tingling sensation began to form in the palm of her hand. Tongues of black smoke licked the door handle many times before she heard a soft click and then the sound of cracking wood. She opened the door and looked down. The plank of wood that had locked the door lay splintered on the ground. "Oops," she said softly, climbing over the threshold into the massive foyer.

The cieling was very high above her, held up by six large pillars with intracate carvings on them. By each pillar stood a statue. These statues had the appearances of gargoyles, each with a spear clutched in their hand. She let out a soft whistle as she reached the middle of the room. A grand staircase led up to a door, and two more staircases led upward from both sides of the door. "This place is huge!" she exclaimed. She loved the soft lighting given off; everything had a soft blue hue to it. The woman took a few more steps to the landing in front of the door. Slowly, she pushed it open. Luckily, this one was unlocked. She peeked inside to a marvelous view. The room was lit by a large chandilier that was hanging from the ceiling. Crystals that dangled from the chandilier magnified the light and brightened the room even more. The floor reflected the ceiling in its clean surface. She entered the room and heard a loud roar. She froze, dead in her tracks. It hadn't come from behind her. It had come from a balconey above the floor. She looked up to see another man in a black cloak like hers. This man had his hood up, much like the one from Hollow Bastion. He was speaking to a large creature. It was hunched over and had fur all over its body. From this distance, she could only see a small amount of its pointy teeth. It was also wearing a purple cape. And then, something Lexstrik hadn't expected, it spoke!

"You will leave my rose where it is at!" He had a deep voice, much like that befitting of a monster. The man in the cloak merely shook his head.

"If you fail to comply with me, Beast," Lexstrik guessed that this was the creature's name, "then the rose shall be mine." Lexstrik closed the door, looking out into the foyer. A clear smirk was written across her face.

"This rose they were talking about," she whispered with a laugh. She began to walk up the steps of the left staricase, "must have a considerable amount of value if Organization XIII wants it." The woman rubbed her hands together, smirking.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Finally!" Goofy sighed, sitting down on the grass. The GummiShip was repaired, thanks to the genius of the Master Chief. The evacuation pod, however, lie in ruin. "Lucky for us," the shield carrier laughed, "that you had that nifty gadget tucked away in the glove of your armor."

"Yeah!" Donald nodded, "If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have fixed it all!" Sora smiled, hitting his chest softly with his fist.

"Thanks, Chief!" he smiled. The Spartan nodded. Invisible to the other three was a soft smile he wore on his war-torn face. He had never been surrounded by the innocence of others before. For countless years, he's always been the Spartan Warrior the Marines needed him to be. Followed every specific order, down to a T. And yet, in the presence of these three, he felt that weight was lifted from him. A part of him didn't wish them to leave, and yet another part did.

"You three," the Master Chief began, "need to get out of here. What we faced today...that 'Heartless'. It's nothing compared to what the Covenant is willing to bring out." There was no reason for them to stay; Sora defeated the Heartless. Surely, others were roaming somewhere else on Halo, but surely the Master Chief could take them on his own. The sound of the waterfall christened their conversation. Sora felt downtrodden at what the Spartan had said.

"If you need us," he began, but the Chief held up a hand to stop him.

"I can take it from here, Sora." His other hand spun the pistol he had been clutching since they first met. It was quite a flashy trick. Donald looked at the Keybearer.

"Yeah, Sora. He's been fighting aliens probably since before you were born!" The boy looked up at the duck and laughed.

"What exactly is _that _supposed to mean?" he asked, putting his hands on his sides and leaning forward. Donald and Goofy merely laughed at this. The Spartan gave a quick chuckle. Then Sora felt something. A burning sensastion in his palm. Instantly, his Keyblade materialzed in a flash of light. "Huh?" he blinked, "My Keyblade! It must be locking the world!" Sure enough, the end of the Keyblade began to glow with a mysterious light. Sora gripped it with both hands as wind rushed around him. Everything of his surroundings faded and became a swirling gold cloud around him. The beacon that had defeated Maxiwill's creature shot up a final blue flame. This flame burst into small embers, which shot together quickly to form the shape of keyhole. As the wind continuing spiraling around him, he jumped back and swung the Keyblade. The light at the end of the blade fired a beam into the keyhole. There was a click and everything around him faded back into the reality of Halo. The Spartan paused and looked at him.

"What did 'locking the world' mean?" he asked.

"He's sealed the world from the Heartless," Goofy explained before Sora opened his mouth, "Not to say that a few more won't pop up here and there, but those are only the really strong Heartless!" The boy nodded.

"Nothing you can't take care of, eh Chief?" His mission done, Sora strode past the armored man, followed by Goofy and Donald, "We'll see you around sometime, right? Chief?" The man said nothing, but he gave an affirmative nod. He then saluted the three as they sat into their ship and began to leave. Sora, Goofy and Donald saluted as well, feeling very accomplished about themselves. When the GummiShip had disappeared from sight, the Spartan turned his back to where it had lifted off from.

"That kid really knows how to fight," he whispered, "He'd make an excellent Spartan." He started walking in the direction they had come from, toward the beacon. A distress signal had been sent from nearby.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"Maxi?" Elyxca whispered, breaking their eternity of silence. Her sudden saying of his name made him snap back into reality. His focused his attention on her, raising an eyebrow. "Since you know who you were," she started, "do you think you could tell me what your life was like?" The boy looked quite taken aback by the question. He scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I guess. We've got nothing better to do," he told her, "It'll be a time killer." She nodded and listened intently to his every word. He started with where he was born. The way he described Olympus was given a sigh of approval from Elyxca. He made many hand movements, as if advancing the story with the wind as well as with his words. It was nice, telling his story to her. She was a very good listener. She smiled, laughed, and gasped at all the right places. "And when I was 16, I fought the deadly half-man, half-bull! The Minotaur!" he flexed his arms, showing off his virtually non-existant muscle mass. She shoved at him playfully.

"You did not!" The boy nodded and placed a hand over where his heart would be and held up his hand.

"Swear to Zeus!" he said, "Granted, I did take my fair share of bruises. It wasn't short after that when I die---" he paused, looking at her. Elyxca had gasped slightly, "---died. Hercules and I were fighting. Hercules is the son of Zeus and he has amazing strength. He could pick up a building and tie it in a knot if he felt like it."

"But...why were you fighting?" she asked.

"Well, we weren't _fighting _because we were mad at each other. We were fighting for fun. A sparring match," Maxiwill placed a hand on his chin and closed his eyes, nodding, "Yeah. A friendly battle. What with Herc being a god and all, you can't exactly kill him. People who fight him are really just testing how long they can last before they just pass out." He gulped and told her that he was the first one to actually die in the contest. Of course, it was his fault. He made a stupid move to attack his feet, leaving his shoulder wide open. He didn't remember much between getting stabbed and falling to the darkness to Hades.

"Who's Hades?" Elyxca asked.

"The God of the Underworld. He's a bit of a hot head...literally," he laughed. Maxiwill explained that he had blue flames atop his head that would become red if he was ever angry. When she asked how he became a Nobody, this is where he paused for a time. Was it something that he really needed to explain? He was silent for around three minutes before sighing.

"I struck a deal with Hades," he admitted, "As long as he let me live in any form he pleased, I would be his eternal slave. The form he chose, luckily, was a Heartless. Which, according to Xemnas, created me." Elyxca nodded and hugged her knees to her chest, much like how Maxiwill was sitting.

"You seemed to have led an interesting life," she whispered, "I wish I remembered what my life was like..." she sighed heavily and Maxiwill could have sworn a tear traced its way down her cheek.

"Maybe..." he said. However, he decided to stop. What he was about to say could have hurt her feelings.

"Maybe what?" she asked. The boy shook his head, whispering a 'never mind' to her. They were quiet again before Maxiwill clenched his fist and smiled.

"Well! Whatever it takes! I'll help you find your memories and a heart!" He nodded his head happily. Elyxca stared at him for a moment before laughing.

"All right, then, Maxi!" she took his hand and shook it tightly. The deal was done. And then they were back in silence.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lexstrik looked around her. She had entered a hallway, adorned with many windows that looked out into the courtyard. Opposite these windows were more of the same statues from the foyer. "A little bland?" she said, walking past them. It was eerily quiet. Nothing moved. The only sound that filled her ears were those of her footsteps on the floor, which were muffled by a maroon carpet. The hallway seemed to drag on forever. She prayed that there was something of value, such as the rose, waiting for her in a room near the end of the hall. The girl stopped for a moment and turned to look over her shoulder. There was a sound; she swore she heard it. It was about a minute before the woman shook her head and continued onward. Of course, she did start pausing every so often to look over her shoulder to see if anything was there. Lexstrik found it a bit strange. All this room in a massive castle for one person? Something just didn't seem to fit. A castle means royality. And if someone royal lives here, surely he or she would have guards? Or at the very least, a group of servants? Nothing made sense in this castle.

She stopped in front of a statue and paused. They were all the same; the boring expressionless face. The same spear held in the same hand. The same posture on the same pedestal. Their cold eyes seemed to watch her with every step she took. A suit of armor dotted the vacant space in between every other sculpture. With a few final steps, the girl approached a door. It was very large; not quite as large as the door she saw in the foyer, but at least half the size. She opened it to find a room with the same blue hue as the rest of the hallway and the foyer. Yet, something caught her eye. Behind a tapestry that hung in the room, she saw a faint pink light emitting from underneath the curtain. Why would a curtain be drawn in a room if it wasn't on the window? Swiftly, she entered and closed the door silently behind her.

Quietly, she approached the curtain and pulled it open. The rest of the room was drowned in a vibrant pink light that came from something inside of a glass container. Lexstrik's eyes lit up as she laughed triumphantly. "I found it!" she said in a sing-song tone. She could barely contain her excitement as she wrapped her fingers around the case and pulled the rose close to her. She found that the light was beautiful and the only thing that beat out its beauty were the small white sparkles that adorned the rose petals. It was truely a treasure worth taking. After all, she was a pirate, wasn't she? As she turned to leave the room, her eyes met with those of the hairy creature from the ballroom.

"Put.It.Back..." he growled dangerously. Lexstrik stuck her nose up in the air and jumped back onto the table that the rose had been sitting on. "Don't think for one second," the Beast roared, "that I won't hesitate to kill you!"

"Why do you want this rose so badly?" she groaned, "It's really not befitting of this boring old dump you seem to call a castle. It really belongs with someone who can care for it. Like me!" she laughed. The Beast roared once more, jumping at her. At once, she held up her hand in self defense. What good would her hand do against him, though? However, she opened her eyes to see a wall of black smoke holding him back.

"_Give me back the rose!_" he barked intensely. Lexstrik groaned again.

"Keep it down, you're going to give me a headache," she walked over to the window and pushed it open. Continuing out of this room was a balcony, which she stepped onto. The Beast tore through the dark wall and roared again. Lexstrik set the rose down on the ground and snapped her fingers. In an instant, five small black creatures appeared. All five with round heads and bright yellow eyes. They jittered about, the antennae on top of their head twitching. Immediately, they jumped on the Beast, clawing at him. In a fit of rage, the Beast swung his mighty arms around, slashing them back into the darkness whence they had come. Lexstrik merely stared at her hand, smiling. "Didn't know I could do that!" A few more times she snapped her fingers. With each snap came five of the same small creatures, each identical to the last. The Beast fell back, holding his arms in front of his hairy face, the Heartless jumping at him and scratching at the creature. He roared in anger and pain. Lexstrik heard a door open.

"Beast! We're here to---Hey! Get away from him!" cried out a voice. It was familiar to the girl. Sure enough, when she examined in closer, it was a boy with spikey brown hair. He was aided by his two companions from Hollow Bastion. The Keyblade shone brightly in his hand as he hacked and slashed at the Heartless, destroying them.

"Who was it that did this?" cried the duck. The Beast pointed out the window at Lexstrik, as he huffed and puffed in exhaustion. Sora took a step forward.

"You! From Hollow Bastion!"

"Aye, it is me!" she laughed, stepping back and scooping up the rose with her, "Such a lovely visit. Afraid I can't stay and chat," she climbed onto the railing of the balcony and looked down at the courtyard from over her shoulder. She was fairly high up.

"Get back here!" Sora growled, running at her with his Keyblade beside him. On pure instinct, Lexstrik fell back, sending herself to the courtyard below. Holding the rose to her chest with one hand, she extended the other. A black cloud appeared below her, and she vanished within it. Sora slammed his fist on the railing. "Darn it!" he barked out, looking over his shoulder at the Beast, who let out a cry of anguish and rage. With one final look over the edge, Sora returned to his friend.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill looked up at the sky, the flickers of lightning giving him a sinking feeling in his stomach. He looked at Elyxca who was staring at the sky as well. Her attention turned to him. "What is it?" she said. The boy shook his head and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. He moved his hand from the position it was in (on his knee) and placed it to his side. His fingers graced the top of the girl's. Quickly, much like before, Maxiwill jerked his hand back. "It's fine," she said with a smile.

"Look out below!" called out a voice. The two looked up to see Lexstrik falling from a black cloud that vanished with the last of her body had exited. A failed attempt was made to escape. She landed on top of the two. "Oh no!" she cried out, jumping to her feet. She examined the object in her hand and sighed happily, "Good! It's not broken!"

"What's not broken?" Maxiwill asked, standing up, "Because I'm pretty sure my back and ribs are..." he winced a bit as he brushed himself off. Elyxca had gotten off easy; Lexstrik merely landed on her hand. Really, it was more of Maxiwill's face that had made contact with Elyxca's hand.

"What is that?" the red haired girl asked, looking at the glowing object that Lexstrik clutched to her chest tightly.

"A rose!" she laughed. Maxiwill, however, frowned heavily.

"You're kidding, right?" he said. To show him, Lexstrik moved her hands a bit. Sure enough, within the glass case, was a glowing red rose, "Are you serious!" he roared, "You were supposed to find us _hearts_! Not a glowing rose!" he stomped his foot on the pavement.

"Listen! Maxi!" she tried to calm him down, "I heard the owner of the rose talking to someone from Organization XIII! They were arguing about this!" She pointed sharply at the rose, "Surely this has some value to it, right?" After pondering the question, the boy nodded in agreement.

"I'll be taking that back, thank you..." whispered a voice. All three spun around on their heels to see another cloaked being. Something was different about his, though. The sleeves were much bigger in radius, and longer too. Slowly, the man pulled back his hood to reveal flowing black dreadlocks and braides. "I don't find it kind that you stole what is right fully mine..."

"And who might you be?" Maxiwill said, holding out an arm and putting the two girls behind him to protect them.

"A member of Organization XIII," he stated softly, "The Whirlwind Lancer. My name is..." he smirked, "Xaldin."


	6. Battle of Flames and Wind! Fight Axel!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

A smirk appeared on the face of the man standing opposite them. "Foolish boy," he muttered. At this, six spears materialized from a bright flash of light. They were taller than the man, each with a fierce point that pointed toward the ground. A gust of wind lifted him slightly off the ground. Maxiwill took a step forward, still holding his arm out to keep the girls behind him.

"You think we're afraid?" he lied. He could feel his hand shaking. The moment Xaldin rushed at him, there was the shattering of glass. The wind that had picked up as the Organization member moved had broken the windows of a near by building. Maxiwill felt a sudden weight pushed into his stomach. Literally, the wind was knocked from his body. He could see the whisps of air escaping his lips. In an instant, he was down on the ground, his glasses sliding across the pavement and landing somewhere by Elyxca's feet. The grip on the rose container was tightened even more in Lexstrik's hands. Maxwill tried and failed horribly to sit back up. There was the sound of a thud as he fell back down a few times.

"That's not very nice of you, Xaldin," said a familiar voice, "Picking on a kid who doesn't even have a weapon yet." As Maxiwill started to come to, the world around him still spinning, he saw flames shooting at Xaldin from behind the two girls. His hand moved about the ground for his spectacles. When he placed the half-moon shaped objects onto his nose, the image of a red-haired man came into view. It was Axel. In his hands were two round objects, white and red in color. Each one seemed to be a large chakrum, with four smaller chakrums connected to it. Spikes jutted dangerously out of these smaller chakrum. Xaldin paused, his feet hovering a few inches above the ground.

"Axel? You'd betray me for these three?" Xaldin cast a disapproving look at the three Nobodies, then to Axel. The red haired Nobody looked at them from the corner of his eye and shook his head.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed, "I'm merely protecting them for now. I don't think it's right of you to have done that," he shook his head once more. Xaldin scowled. Maxiwill wasn't sure whether he should thank Axel for helping or to hate Axel for that same reason. However, Xaldin found this as a perfect chance to strike. The man floated toward Axel, snatching up a spear the was floating beside him. In an instant, the red haired Nobody found himself on the ground. Quickly, he jumped back up and wiped his lip. Fire spounted from him like machine gun fire, just one after the other in succession. Maxiwill had never seen fire shot so fast before. Xaldin whipped the wind around him, making the fire distinguish into small embers that fluttered about and disappeared without a second thought. Axel spun a chakrum around his hand. Xaldin flew toward Elyxca this time, finding it opprotune to attack someone who wasn't prepared. "Get back!" Axel shouted out, shoving the girl toward Maxiwill. She bumped into him, causing them both to feel a bit distraught for a small moment. Xaldin pushed himself into Axel, throwing him toward a buidling.

"Make her give it back to me!" Xaldin growled dangerously, holding a spear to the red-haired man's throat. The muscles that tensed were clearly visible in Axel's facial features.

"All right, all right..." he stood up. His chakrum disappeared with a loud _crack! _and a few small flickers of fire that dropped harmlessly to the pavement. The Nobody looked at Lexstrik and held out his hand, "Give it to me," he stated. Lexstrik shook her head.

"No!" she barked, "I stole it! Fair and square!" The woman held tightly to it. Axel sighed and clenched his fist. He then rolled his fingers back out.

"I'm not going to ask again. Give it to me," he glared at her with his emerald green eyes. It was clear that Lexstrik did not want to hand it over. Underneath her black gloves, everyone knew that she was white knuckled at how tight she was clutching that rose. Xaldin gave a huffing noise, as if impatiently waiting for that rose to become his once more. It took a few more moments of coaxing before...

"Fine! Take it!" she shoved the rose into Axel's chest, causing him to stumble back a bit. His eyes sparkled in the light of the rose. The reflection was clear in his shining eyes. Maxiwill sighed heavily and Elyxca bit her lower lip. Clearly, they were hoping for some sort of offer to be made in trade for the rose.

"Now, will you leave them alone?" he asked. Xaldin snatched the case and left without saying another word. He vanished in the all too familiar black cloud they were coming to use more and more often. "I'm sure he'll put it back where it belongs. Probably wants to give that Beast a fighting chance." The other three Nobodies remained silent. Maxiwill looked at the red haired man crossly. Elyxca gripped her right arm with her left hand. Lexstrik stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You know, Axel?" she started, "I'm starting to wonder whose side you're on. First, you help me stay away from Xemnas. Then, you reluctantly give us information about Organization XIII," she took a breath, "and---"

"And just now," Maxiwill cut in, "You take what was ours and give it to that guy?" He knew from the start he wouldn't like him; turns out that he was only right to begin with, "Make up your mind. Either help us or don't."

"I told you Organization XIII's plans, didn't I?" Axel said, spinning his hand around in the air, "I think that's good enough for you." He turned to leave.

"Don't you ignore that fact we're still here!" Elyxca stomped her foot. Maxiwill looked at her in disbelief. For the first time in the short time he's met her, she barked out in a rage, "Just because we're not part of Organization XIII doesn't mean you have the right to walk out on us!" She clenched her fist. Lexstik swore she saw a whisp of blackness escape her hand. Axel shook his head.

"There's just no getting it through to you, is there?" he said, tapping his head. With a sigh, he held his arms out to his sides. Tongues of fire wrapped themselves around his arms, heading toward his palms. Fire and whisps of black smoke began to swirl and form into his strange weapon. Maxiwill took a step back.

"There you go again!" he barked, "Now you're going to fight us?" He laughed a bit, "Looks like someone can't make up his mind." Axel merely smirked at this. He held his weapon high above his head and dashed at Maxiwill; seems as if he shared the same hatred. The boy snapped his fingers, a heavy gust of wind taking him into the air and out of harms way. He landed behind Axel, with a smile on his face.

"And yet you attack him!" Lexstrik roared, slapping her hands to her sides angerly, "You have some nerve! Didn't you say not to attack the defenseless not FIVE minutes ago!" Axel ignored this. Instead, he ran back at Maxiwill. He barely had time to defend himself from what was coming next.

"Burn, baby!" Axel called out, fire shooting from his palms. The Nobody took the fire straight into his shoulders, causing him immense pain. The smell of singed leather filled the air around him. Clutching his shoulders with his hands, he fell to his knees, groaning in pain. Axel ran at him, his weapons held out beside him.

There was a clang of metal against metal. Maxiwill had thrown his arms over his head in a desperate attempt at protecting himself. However, when he opened his eyes, he noticed someone standing in front of him. He could tell from the brown hair and the ponytail that it was Lexstrik. She was pushing Axel back with something she held tightly in her hands. Maxiwill stood up and ran past them to Elyxca. "What'd I miss?" he asked. Elyxca was pointing at Lexstrik with her mouth open slightly.

"She...managed to copy Axel's weapon!" her finger was shaking, "When Axel ran at you, she somehow summoned the same thing he has...those wheels!" Indeed, this was true. The two combantants turn their bodies in a way that would let Maxiwill and Elyxca to see how the other was faring. Clutched in Lexstrik's hand were two duplicates of the chakrum Axel held onto. The only difference, however, is that the red of the weapons had become a lush shade of purple. She pushed him back, throwing purple flames from her hand. Axel blocked these with his wheels and smirked.

"So...you're a copy cat?" he laughed, "Can't say I've met something like that before." He held up a hand and vanished into a black cloud. Lexstrik sighed, letting her hands drop limply beside her. When she looked down at her hands, the chakrum were gone. A shocked expression replaced the one she wore previous.

"Where'd...what did I..." she stuttered. Maxiwill looked at Elyxca and nodded. The girl nodded as well, approaching her fellow Nobody.

"You..." she searched the confines of her mind for a proper word, "doppleganged Axel's weapon. Almost perfectly too. The only difference was the red of his weapon was purple to yours." A bright smile appeared on Lexstrik's face.

"So I copy things!" she jumped happily, "I wonder if I can make them appear again..." Taking a few steps back from Elyxca, she held her arms out and closed her eyes. Her stance reminded them heavily of how Axel summoned his weapons into battle. However, nothing was happening. Lexstrik closed her eyes a little tighter and eventually gave up.

"Looks like you need the real weapon here to copy it," Maxiwill explained, "And when that real weapon leaves battle, so do your fakers." The boy crossed his arms over hsi chest and approached her. "Well, that's a pretty interesting power. Would you fancy a trade?" he laughed. Lexstrik shook her head.

"No," she laughed, "go blow your hot air somewhere else." The three let out a laugh before the quietness dawned on them. Now they were without any bait for Organization XIII, the exact reason Lexstrik had snatched up the rose in the first place. Together, they resumed their usual position on the curb, sitting in silence. The boy looked at Elyxca.

"I guess it'd be your turn," he said simply, "I went and failed miserably. Lexstrik managed to return with something just to have it taken away...let's see how you fair." The girl nodded. However, before she stood up, something appeared in front of them. It was a swirling black cloud. Quickly, the three stood up and hid behind a building. A figure walked through it. Much like them, he was wearing a black cloak with chains adorning the neck. His hood was down, so they could see his face. On one eye, he wore an eyepatch. It reminded them very much of a pirate. He wore a scar along his left cheek. His black hair was slicked back into a ponytail that dangled above his backside.

"Well, still no sign Roxas..." he groaned, walking away towards the castle in the distance. Once he had disappeared from sight, Maxiwill jumped out from behind the building. He recognized the voice in an instant.

"That was that guy!" he said, pointing in the direction he had walked, "From that place..." he snapped his fingers over and over. Wind kicked up around the three. However, when he stopped, the wind died down, "Hollow Bastion! That's it!"

"But he said something about Roxas..." Elyxca placed a hand on her chin, "Who could that be?"

"Maybe someone from Organization XIII? Someone who betrayed them," Lexstrik scowled, "Like Axel?" Maxiwill nodded at this possibility. However, there were more pressing matters at hand. The boy told Elyxca to go through a portal to another world to find a way to obtain a heart. She bit her lower lip. This spoke to the boy. She hadn't wanted to go it alone.

"Trust me," he said, "We'll be waiting for you when you get back." He nodded at her assuringly. This begetted a smile from Elyxca, who nodded back at him. Maxiwill held out a hand and a portal of the same black smoke appeared in front of her. Slowly, she walked through it and disappeared. Maxiwill was beaming and Lexstrik kept her arms crossed over her chest. Together, the two remaining Nobodies took a seat.

"Where do you think she'll go?" she asked. The boy shrugged.

"Dunno," he told her, "But I have an idea."


	7. The Underworld! Elyxca Fights Cerebrus!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

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She opened her eyes, then held up a hand to block out the sun. It was painfully bright. Elyxca shook her head and yawned. Her eyes then started to dart around. "Those columns," she whispered, "And the statues..." the girl smiled brightly and winked, "It's just like Maxi described it! I made it! I'm at Olympus!" The girl spun around, her cloak flowing around behind her. Two large, golden statues of warriors stood proudly at the door of the Colleseum. Their swords were pointed at the sky and the sun made their color stand out. The gold men held their round shields at their sides. She stopped and placed a hand on her chin. _Now to find a heart..._she thought, taking a few steps forward. She then heard the cracking of a door open. Quickly, she turned her head to see a large door open up. Behind this door was a swirling black and green cloud. Sparks of blue lightning streaked across it. Elyxca stared at the man who was walking through it. He was wearing a cloak like hers. "Organization XIII..." she whispered. When he disappeared through the smoke, the girl made a mad dash through it before the door finally closed.

She found herself at the top of a staircase. Behind her was the swirling cloud, but in front of her was a circlular rock with two branches leading to two large doors. Elyxca started moving down the steps, her eyes taking in everything. _Maxi didn't describe this place...is this the Underworld? _She reached the bottom of the stairs, looking around her quizzically. It seems this rock was in the middle of a large river. The girl moved over to examine the water of this river. A pale and thin hand grabbed up, wrapping its spinedly fingers around the chain that dangled from her neck. Elyxca let out a scream, shutting her eyes tightly and smacking at the hand. It let go, fading back into the water. This time, she stood up to look. It wasn't water; they were souls. Millions upon milions of human souls that had passed on in the world above her. She took a few deep breaths, still a bit startled from the event a few moments previous. Elyxca then heard a loud growling noise. To look, she spun on her heel. There was nothing that could have made the noise...nothing visible. Her eye caught attention of something at the horizon of the 'river'. It was tall and thin at the base, going upward like a pipe. At the top was something designed like a skull. In its two eyes were bright green lights that flickered; she guessed this to be a green flame. "Where did that guy go...?" she asked nobody. That's when she noticed that the door to the right was slightly ajar. Elyxca's natural curiousity lured her to it; she slipped inside.

Her eyes met a large cavern with a mysterious fog that coated the ground. Small lights, almost like fireflies, flickered all around her. Elyxca scratched the back of her head sheepishly; she wasn't sure if she wanted to go on. However, she had to proceed in order to find a way to obain a heart. She was careful of any drops in elevation that may have been covered by the mist. Once or twice she felt her foot slip and she nearly fell. Elyxca came to a ramp, which she followed beneath the mist. She found another cavern entrance. "I should be careful," she whispered, "I could get lost in here." Before she moved, however, she smacked her forehead playfully. "Wait a second..." she chuckled to herself, continuing through the cavern.

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"Listen, I just don't think that he's trustworthy!" a voice barked out. Maxiwill had stood up, his fist clenched and he stomped the ground. Lexstrik sat on the curb, ignoring his banter. "What do any of us know what's going through his head! He could be trying to lead us into a trap!" Maxiwill crossed his arms over his chest.

"Are you done ranting?" Lexstrik asked. The boy felt a vein pulse in his temple as his lip twitched angerly. The woman stood up and strode past him. "None of us know anything. We have to trust someone."

"But why _him_? You saw him!" he roared, "Besides, you can't like him that much! Not if you were willing to fight him off to protect me!" Maxiwill turned his back to her and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Well, maybe I _should _have let him kill you!" Lexstrik cried, "Elyxca and I are perfectly capable of obtaining a heart without you!" Maxiwill turned at this statement. He could feel his cheeks growing hot. Lexstrik felt her ears turn red as she clenched her teeth.

"You are?" he asked with a chuckle, "So far, I'm the only one who even TRIED to obtain a heart!" his temper was growing, "I fought that Sora brat and he defeated me! What did you do, Lexstrik, hmm!" Maxiwill put himself very close to her face when he asked this question. "You came back with a rose. A glowing rose. And judging by the looks of you," he stepped back and examined her, "you didn't even fight!"

"Oh, please! You didn't actually fight him, either!" she retaliated, "You summoned a nasty beasty! I'm sure he's tackled much bigger than whatever you had offered him!" The two Nobodies were growing tense with each other. Both of them continued their argument for a time until Lexstrik stomped her foot on the ground. "Sometimes I just want to tear you limb from bloody..." she clenched her fists. A strange light began to emit from her hands and whisps of black and white smoke began to swirl around her hands. There was a flash of light and she held two daggers tightly in her hands. "...Limb?" she had began to examine the two weapons. They were identical in appearance. The daggers curved in at odd angles and jutted out small points that looked just as dangerously sharp as the tip. Their color was a dark shade of red, and a black outline followed around the dagger. In the center of each weapon was the same symbol; a symbol identical to what held up Lexstrik's hair in that bun. It looked like a triangle at the top, with a 'tube' that followed downward with two more triangles coming out at either side. It flowed downward into a curve that looked like the top of a heart. Lexstrik grinned brightly, holding them tightly and sliding them across each other. There was a distinctive 'shink' of metal on metal. Maxiwill gulped.

"Well, well! Looks as if you're not just a copy cat after all!" he said. He shook his head, holding his hand up. He closed his eyes. _If Axel could get weapons like this..._he thought, _then I can too! _The wind picked up around him, swirling his cloak around. Lexstrik was also given a slight breeze. Tongues of black smoke flowed from the air into the palm of his head. At that moment, a black handle appeared in the air. He opened his eyes and looked up. "That's it!" he cried, "A handle bar!" He wrapped his fingers around it, hoping something would happen.

"Oh, dear me. How will I ever defend myself against a handle?" Lexstrik asked sarcastically. However, light and black smoke formed the outline of what looked like a rather large weapon. After the light cleared, a large boomerang lay in Maxiwill's grasp. He could fit his entire body in between it. The tips were sharp, just like Lexstrik's daggers. Three points shot out from the sides of the boomerang, identical on both sides and equal in size. The top of the boomerang dipped in toward the handle. On both sides of the handle rested the same symbol from Lexstrik's daggers. White bandanges wrapped themselves around random places of the weapon. It was a dark shade of blue, with an outline of black following around it.

"Now _this _is what I call a wea--" he was cut off when he felt his knees buckle under the weight of the boomerang. It was much heavier than it was when it first formed. He stumbled forward and shook his head. His balance equaled, he looked at Lexstrik, "You were saying?"

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Elyxca paused when she saw the same man from the door run past her. She stuck out her foot, looking away. The man tripped over and something gold fell out of his hand. Interested by the item, the girl bent over and picked it up. The cloaked man stood up, removing his hood. His face was soft and childish. He wore a sneaky expression on his face. His eyes were a bright blue. His hair was flat on the top and he had strands of blonde that dangled in front of his face. He also had a small mullet. "Hey!" he cried out. His voice matched his face, "Give that back!" Elyxca blinked at him, holding it high above her head.

"No," she said, "I like it." She looked up at it. It had to have been valuable if Organization XIII wanted it, right? "Who are you?" she asked.

"That's none of your buisness!" the boy cried, "I'll tell you if you give it back!" he jumped for it, but Elyxca moved her arm back to keep it out of his reach. The girl remembered Maixwill saying something about Hades. That he liked to make deals. _Maybe if I take this to Hades, _she thought _then I could trade it for a heart! _She began to walk away from the cloaked boy, ignoring his constant cries of 'give it back' and 'I'm getting angry!'.

She made her way make to the entrance to the Underworld, her eyes dead set on the skull-like tower at the end of the river. Her hand clutched the gold object tightly. The girl was about to take a step forward when she heard the echo of footsteps. The man from the cavern came running at her, knocking her over. She fell onto her backside, letting out a small yelp. However, her grip on the object didn't loosen and it still rested firmly in her grasp. He let out an exhausted sigh.

"Fine!" he barked, "My name is Demyx and I'm with Organization XIII! I stole that Hero Crest," he pointed to the object, "in hopes of luring Roxas here!" Elyxca stood up and brushed her backside off.

"Who?" she asked.

"Never mind that now! Can I just have it back, please!" he held out a hand and his fingers twitched. He acted in a very childish manner.

"Give me, give me never gets!" Elyxca taunted, running past him to the opposite door. When she opened it, Demyx came sprinting at her. He went past her and stopped. The same growling that Elyxca had heard when she first arrived filled her ears once more. Her gaze came to a large black dog, much bigger than anything she had ever seen. It had three heads and six blood red eyes. Two of the heads were snarling, showing off digusitingly yellow fangs. The two Nobodies gulped, taking a step back. There was a _crack _and a man in a swirling black robe appeared in front of them. He had a blue face, matching the blue flames on the top of his head. "Hades..." she whispered.

"Well, can't say that we've met, kid," he said to her. His voice was cocky and arrogent. Demyx had taken a step back. A spark appeared in his eyes.

"Yoink!" he laughed, snatching the Hero Crest from her hand and running out of the room, slamming the door behind him. She turned quickly and then looked back at Hades. He was smiling.

"You know, I don't exactly appreciate you running around here and waking up my pet here," he patted the dog on the middle head, "Cerebrus isn't exactly happy when you wake him up from his nap." Elyxca gulped, stepping back until she met with the door. Hades clicked his tongue and waved a finger at her. "Sic her, boy!" he disappeared in a flash of black smoke and blue fire.

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Maxiwill jumped into the air, although he couldn't go very high. The weight of the boomerang kept him down. Lexstrik looked up at him, shaking her head. The boy fell back to the earth, feeling a sudden pain go through his legs. She laughed at him as he winced. "Get over it," she said, running at him with her daggers held out in front of her. Maxiwill lifted his boomerang after a bit of a struggle and defended himself with one of the sides. He jumped back and threw the boomerang at her. As it was spinning, the boy ran after it. Lexstrik jumped into the air, and this was a cue for him to as well. The boomerang flew back to its owner, still twirling as fast as it had when he threw it. His hand gripped the handle and he stopped it. However, the momentum that it had picked up caused him to fly into a building, shattering a window. The boomerang went with him. As Maxiwill hit the back wall inside the building, his weapon pierced the wall and broke through it, caging him inside. He tried pushing the boomerang down, pushing it out. He even tried lifting it. No avail. Lexstrik appeared opposite him and approached him. "I could kill you right now," she said, lifting his chin up with the tips of one of her daggers. The boy smirked.

"Go right ahead. That'll leave you and Elyxca to try and find a heart yourselves," he wrapped his hand around the handle of his boomerang and closed his eyes. It disappeared in a flash of light and the wind kicked up just a small bit around them. "One less distraction, right?" Lexstrik's mouth twitched and she pulled her weapon away. The boy stood up and brushed himself off. A staircase led from the floor they were on downward toward the entrance. The girl sighed.

"Next time you insult Axel," she shook her head, "you won't be so lucky. Got it, Maxi?" He smirked and brushed his hair out of his face.

"Whatever," he said simply and fixed his glasses. He headed down the stairs, his hand trailing along the railing. This building must not have been well kept. Dust collected on his glove as he moved it down the rail. Upon reaching the bottom of the steps, he patted his glove onto his pants, small flicks of dust gathering around in the air. He sneezed as Lexstrik appeared behind him. The two walked out of the building to their usual spot on the curb. As Maxiwill sat down, the girl looked at her daggers, spinning one around so that the flat sides of both daggers could be placed together.

"If I copied Axel's weapon without these," she said to him, "what can I copy with them? Summon back your boomerang, Maxi." A sigh escaped the boy. Again, he lifted up his hand and the handle appeared. As his fingers wrapped around it gingerly, the weapon formed and he buckled once more under its weight, stumbling backward this time. Lexstrik shut her eyes and went into a deep thought. She imagined every aspect of Maxiwill's boomerang. The size, the shape, the points and the curves. She felt her hands get heavy. When she opened her eyes, she noticed her daggers were solid white and glowing with a strange light. She let them go, and they hovered above the ground for a moment before forming into the outline of Maxiwiil's weapon. When the light faded, it fell to the ground with a loud _clank. _It was a perfect copy. Almost exact, except that the colors were reversed; the black was now blue and the blue was now black. The white bandages of Maxiwill's boomerang were a dull grey on Lexstrik's copy. The girl bent down and wrapped her hand around the handle. It took a moment before she finally hoisted it up onto her shoulders. Maxiwill looked dumbstruck.

"So, you can copy other people's weapons," the boy shook his head and smirked, "Interesting. That may come in handy," he closed his eyes and the boomerang of his disappeared. At that very instant, the copy began glowing and it returned to its original shape of the two daggers. "And they have to be there in order for the daggers to hold the cloned shape." Maxiwill placed a hand on his chin.

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Elyxca looked at the three headed dog, gulping. Her hands were shaking as the beast moved closer to her. The left and middle head began to sniff her as the third licked its jowls in hunger. She pinned herself against the door, closed her eyes tightly and kept very still as the cold noses came into contact with her. When the noses backed away, she opened an eye to see all three of them licking their fangs. She let out a scream as the heads dived for her. Instinctively, she ran inbetween a pair of the heads and ran under its belly. It barked loudly as she went to the opposite wall. Due to its sheer size, it took a while for Cerebrus to turn completely around to face her. It lefted a paw and brought it down upon her. It was too late; she was done for.

She looked up, noticing that she was standing in the middle of the dog's toes. Something odd was happening to Cerebrus; it was looking around with all three of its heads. Why? She was standing right there in front of it. The dog lifted up its paw and searched around once more. What was going on? She looked down at her feet to see nothing but the rock below her. A soft gasp escaped her as she looked at her hands. She was nothing but a pale white outline; at least to her. She must have been invisible to Cerebrus. Elyxca shook her head violently, hoping to return back to normal. Her legs appeared first, followed by her feet and then her hands and arms. Her head and body took a little longer to return to visibility. This was turning into a game of dog and cat and she was the cat. She lifted up her hands and bent her fingers to look like claws. At that moment, the shadows in the room began to leave their owners and flow into her hands. Light emitted from her palms and they glowed with a mysterious grey light. The small fireflies that had flickered all around the underworld began to swirl about her hand as well. Cerebrus turned around slowly. Around Elyxca's hands were another set of gloves. At the tips of the fingers were large gold and lilac colored claws. On the top of her hand was a large spike that was a lovely shade of gold. She looked at her hands and the claws glittered in her eyes like a new treasure. She ran at Cerebrus, holding her arms out at her sides. The claws dug into its legs, leaving five large cuts on either side. As she did this, the dog let out a loud bark of pain. Elyxca then lifted her hands above her head and ran her new weapon along its underside, then back to her sides for its back legs. Cerebrus growled angerly. The girl had reached the door and she slipped through it, closing it behind her. She fell onto her backside, sliding her back against the door. She was breathing heavily. The girl looked at the claws on her hands. She looked quite taken aback when they disappeared in a flash of light. "Wait until I tell the others about this!" she laughed, standing up. As she lifted her hand to create a portal, she heard a voice call out;

"You stop right there!" it was a young boy's voice. The portal made, Elyxca turned to see the spikey haired boy and his two companions from Hollow Bastion.

"Oh! You must be Sora! Maxiwill has told me a lot about you!" she said, waving a hand at him. The grip on his Keyblade tightened.

"Really? You know Maxiwill?" he smirked, "Tell him if he's ready for another butt kicking to come and find me!" Elyxca shook her head, stepping backwards into the portal.

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"You WHAT!" Lexstrik and Maxiwill said collectively as the girl returned. The boy pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"So you met someone from Organization XIII...and you said he's kind of a wimpy guy?" Lexstrik said. Elyxca nodded and then began to tell her about the claws she had when she fought against Cerebrus. Her story was just as it happened. She couldn't find a way to explain to them how she disappeared and somehow went _through _Cerebrus' paw, but it was an interesting story none the less. Maxiwill looked a bit worried.

"You were almost killed..." he whispered, "And it was Hades fault!" he punched his palm with his fist. He held up his hand, but Lexstrik pinned it back to his side.

"You're not going any where. You can fight Hades when the time is right," she whispered to him. She looked over her shoulder at Elyxca who was blinking at the two, "Look. She's fine! No need to get angry now." She let go of him and turned to Elyxca, "Now we'll tell you OUR story!" She laughed, walking over to her and placing an arm around her shoulder. The two girls sat down on the curb as Lexstrik told the girl the story of her battle with Maxiwill. This story was greatly exaggerated, Maxiwill having to butt in more than once to say "That's not how it happened!". Elyxca smiled.

"So, we all have some sort of power and weapon?" she asked.

"Looks like it. This game is about to get much more interesting," Maxiwill smirked, rubbing his hands together devilishly.


	8. Seperate Paths! Finding A Heart Is Easy!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

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The three stood on their curb, Maxiwill thinking silently to himself. Elyxca was retelling the story of her battle against Cerebrus, adding in a bit more action than she had originally said it with. Lexstrik was listening, gasping on all the right places and laughing when she heard about this 'Demyx' character. Suddenly, it was quiet. Elyxca had finished her story and the three became silent. It was about a minute or so before Maxiwill turned around to look at the two girls. "So? I have a plan." He smirked. Lexstrik shook her head with a chuckle.

"Took your sweet time?" she laughed again when the boy glared at her, "Well, let's hear it." She crossed her arms over her chest. Elyxca looked from the other girl to the boy. Maxiwill cleared his throat and pushed his half-moon spectacles up his nose with his middle finger.

"Yes," he started, "This Sora kid. He's become a bit of a nuisance," he began to walk around the females, looking up at the sky, "So, I think in order to get hearts without him getting in the way is to split up." Lexstrik and Elyxca both looked taken aback.

"What?" Elyxca cried, "Split up? How will we find each other?" Maxiwill held up his hand and shook his head. He then pointed at a star that was twinkling much brighter than the others. All three of them stared at the light and then Lexstrik looked at him.

"We'll meet up there," he stated, "at that world. We'll each go to a different world and search for a heart. Sora can't stop us if we're in three different places." Maxiwill moved forward between them then stood still. They formed a triangle, all three of them facing different directions. They were silent again. Lexstrik was the first to lift her hand and open a portal.

"See you," she said simply, walking through the darkness and disappearing. Maxiwill stood still with his back turned to Elyxca. His gaze was fixed on the heart shaped moon which reflected in his glasses. Neither of them moved from their spots until Maxiwill turned his head.

"What did he call it?" he asked her. She blinked and then looked to him, "Saix. What did he call that moon?"

"King...King..." she strained for the word, but she shook her head, "I can't remember clearly," she sighed and looked away. Her attention shifted to her boots, which had suddenly becoming interesting enough to stop from looking at Maxiwill.

"He must have said it when he took your heart, along with the memories you had." The boy continued to look at her. She didn't move. "We'll get hearts," he said over his shoulder, "And we'll get back your memories. I'll see to that." The boy lifted his hand and disappeared through his cloud of black smoke. Elyxca looked over her shoulder in time to see him disappear. Her gaze then shifted to the spot he had stood previously. The girl turned her head and held up her hand. With a final glance over her shoulder where her companions had stood, she disappeared. The street was deserted, excluding the small wisp of black smoke that trailed upward as she left.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lexstrik groped around in the darkness, stumbling over her boot. "Piece of..." she growled. A light began to flicker in front of her. Her eyes brightened up and she dashed towards it. "Here I...come!" she jumped and grasped the light in her fist. At that moment, she felt the feeling of being pulled, hard, from behind her navel. Everything was spinning very fast. Lights swirled around her so fast that she had to close her eyes to stop from being sick. She had felt the feeling before, but it felt much more extreme this time. Suddenly, everything stopped. She was perched atop a stone building. It was night time and the moon was hidden behind the leaves of many trees. Lexstrik jumped from the building, hopped off a few boxes and landed on the ground softly. She examined her surroundings; trees on all sides and many concrete buildings. All of them looked old and as if they could crumble at any moment. There were boxes stacked upon boxes of gun powder. Her hands slid along the grooves between the bricks in the structures. She spotted a bridge that lead out of this small town. Taking the opprotunity, the girl left the town and crossed the bridge. It was made of stone and it was very sturdy. It was also very cold. Lexstrik had placed her hand along the stone as she walked, and even through her gloves, she could feel a chill coming from it. A small sign was posted on the side she had approached. The words were faded and it was very dusty, but she could read it out perfectly:

**Port Royal**

A burning sensation arose in her stomach as she read the sign multiple times to let it sink in. Her attention went all around her now. There was the dock she was found at, a large boat with bleached white sails lay in the harbor. A stone staircase was across from her now, a staircase that lead up to an archway overlooking the sea. Lexstrik's hands gripped at nothing, balling up into fists and then relaxing again. A sigh escaped her. "It's just like I remember it," she whispered to nobody. A wave crashed up on the dock and a rush of sea salt came to her nostrils. Everything was as she left it. She let her eyes close as her body relaxed. The sea...the sky...it was all the same.

_"Material possessions do not...pike my interest as much as your soul does. Now, either serve upon my ship or go down with the rest of your crew and your ship!"_

Her eyes shot open and she looked around her. That voice...in her head. She knew who it belonged to. Rubbing her eyes, she stifled a yawn. Somehow, she managed to stand on a ship; at the front of it. The ship appeared to her as utter rubbish before she realized where she stood. Beneath her feet was a digusting pile of moss and barnacles. The sound of an organ could be heard playing a sad tune, but it was being played very quickly as if the pianst had four hands. She shuddered and looked up. A small scream escaped her. Her eyes had been met with those of another. These eyes were distant...uncaring...heartless. The person backed away slowly, tilting her head in a very childish manner. Lexstrik took a step back herself. Then it hit her:

She was staring at herself.

But how was that possible? She was Lexstrik, she was standing right there. But the facial features...the hairstyle...it was all the same. Other than her hair; this girl had brilliant blonde hair. Unlike the rest of the people on board (who were now starting to emerge from the strangest of places), she looked positively normal...except for the small crab-like claw that was begining to form around her left hand. Lexstrik stared around her at the others who were now stumbling toward the two girls. "I realize where I am..." she whispered, jumping back from a claw that had tried to grope for her, "Davy Jones!" she shouted. Immediately, the music from the organ had stopped. There was then a loud clunking noise that had replaced it. About a minute had passed when a creature appeared on the deck of the ship. Tentacles covered his face like a slimy beard. His hat was a dark blue, but the color was barely visible underneath the amount of coral the covered it. His shoulder was also covered with a dark red coral. Much like the girl in front of Lexstrik, he had a claw on his left hand. The creature smirked.

"You called?" Davy Jones whispered. His words made all the people (which Lexstrik was noticing looked more like science experiments gone wrong) on board as silent as death. Davy made his way toward the Nobody, his peg leg clunking as he walked. "I see you've met..." he looked from the girl to the Nobody, "yourself." He shook his head with laughter. A tentacle that had been tucked away beneath his sleeve emerged. It pulled a pipe from his pocket. Davy struck a match on his claw and lit the pipe tenderly. He took a deep breath and then exhaled. The smoke billowed out of a small tentacle on the side of his face.

"There's...how did you...know I'm her?" Lexstrik stammered, looking from Davy Jones to herself. The captain let out another laugh and tapped his pipe on his claw. The ashes fell to the deck silently, a few of them still flickering.

"You obviously forget who I am," he held out his 'who' for a moment or two before continuing. Lexstrik looked away for a moment as Davy advanced on her, his claw held up. "You've been quite a help on board. And we've found...what you had been looking for." He looked over his shoulder and nodded his head. One of the creatures, what looked like a man and a shark put together, disappeared into the back of the ship. A moment later, he returned with a shabby brown object in his hands. Davy's tentacle reached out and snatched it. He then dropped it onto Lexstrik's feet. The girl looked down and gasped. It was a brown, three point hat. Much like that worn by...

"Jack Sparrow..." Lexstrik whispered, bending over and picking up the hat, "Where did you find him?" she demanded.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill landed on his knees. He stood up, brushing himself off. It was night time, wherever he was. He looked up at the sky, at the bright moon that was glowing with an eerie orange tint to it. He ran his tongue over his teeth and let out a quick yelp of pain. Taking his pointer finger, he prodded his canines gently. They had become much sharper, like fangs. "Where did I end up?" he said, turning about on the spot where he stood. Where ever he was, it was placed in a graveyard. Headstones and pumpkins dotted the landscape about him. A scream echoed out from behind him. The boy jumped in place and spun around, his robe swirling around him. His hands were held in a position as if he were about to summon forth his boomerang. Nothing came. He crept forward and stumbled. Regaining his balance quickly, Maxiwill looked down. "What now?" he groaned. Then he realized his was on top of a large hill that stopped and leaned forward, curling itself around in a fine swirl. "I'll just go around," he said. Maxiwill moved down the hill and noticed a gate up a pathway. Someone was standing in front of it. He dashed behind a tombstone and crouched low. The person did not move. Whoever it was was shorter than he. The moonlight reflected off the top of it's head. Wonderful red hair shone in the light. It didn't take long before he knew who exactly it was. The boy stood up, leaning casually against the headstone. "Oi! Elyxca!" he called out. The girl turned around quickly and then laughed slightly.

"So, it's only Maxi," she shook her head and began to walk towards him. He wore a blank expression on his face as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose; they kept falling.

"'Only Maxi'?" he repeated, "So, I take it you're not happy to see me? We were supposed to go to different worlds, Elyxca." He yawned, flashing his new fangs in the light. She examined them in the brief moment his mouth was open.

"How do I know you didn't follow me?" she asked, leaning forward cutely. Maxiwill smirked and chortled. He noticed a bit of dust on the sleeve of his robe. As he moved his hand, his chains clinked together softly. He brushed his arm off.

"Doesn't matter," he stated, "We're both here, so we may as well work together. Any idea where we are?" he asked, looking around. Everything was so...dull. Hues of orange, black, red, and white swirled around them in a nicely fixed array of color. Elyxca looked over her shoulder at the gate and then back to the male Nobody.

"I saw a sign," she explained and pointed to the gate behind her. A busted wooden sign lay beside the gate with 'Halloween Town' written in scragged letters. Maxiwill moved toward the sign, she followed him, and then he stopped. He turned to Elyxca.

"Do you have anything like _these?_" he asked, opening his mouth and jabbing a finger at his extended teeth. She approached him and bent over, looking up at his fangs. He closed his mouth and his left canine pertruded from beneath his lip. Elyxca shook her head. The boy crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot in thought.

"But I do have these," she turned her back on him. Maxiwill's eyes widened at the sight of two feathery wings. They were sticking from her shoulder blades and trailed down to her hips. She extended the left wing and a black feather twirled from the tip to the ground. Elyxca smirked and then moved the wing to her back once more. "I'm guessing everyone becomes 'scary' when they come here?" Maxiwill shrugged and turned his back on her, walking up to the gate.

"Halloween Town," he whispered, wrapping his long fingers around one of the metal poles of the fence. He felt how cold the metal was through the glove, "We can find a heart together. In Halloween Town," he opened the gate and slipped through it swiftly. More headstones appeared before him and large statues of gargoyles dotted the new graveyard. Elyxca had decided to test out her new wings, floating slowly over the gate and behind the boy. Maxiwill smirked and dashed down the hill, swerving in and out of headstones and statues. He nearly tripped over one, but managed to regain his balance before landing facedown in the dirt. Elyxca followed behind, her wings carrying her slowly. The two Nobodies moved together through a small alleyway with orange lights on the walls. A trashcan fell over as a black cat jumped from the top of it.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Davy Jones let out a laugh and snatched the hat from her with his large claw. "You believe I can tell you...without a bribe?" Behind the tentacles, Lexstrik could make out a smallest notion of a smirk. Davy looked over his shoulder at the shell of Lexstrik, the girl the world had known as Kristel.

"What else can I give you?" Lexstrik cried, "You already have someone to serve you! There's nothing I ca---" she stopped mid-sentence. She knew exactly what Davy had wanted and she didn't want to play into his game. However, she wanted to find Jack so badly. "You want...Jack, don't you?" she asked with a airy sort of voice. Davy nodded slowly.

"Jack Sparrow owes me one hundred years for resurrecting his precious..." he scowled, "Black Pearl. Yet, he's managed to escape from me again. But you," the tentacle on his human hand jabbed at her, "will persuade him. And then I can give you back your...shell." He shook Kristel with his human hand. She swayed lifelessly and turned her back, heading down the steps to the mast, which she sat beside. Lexstrik fought back the feeling to rip Davy limb from limb. However, she merely smiled weakly.

"Fine," she said simply. The man thrust the hat back at her and turned to his crew. His eyes were dead set on the creature behind the wheel of the ship. The gaze caused him (or whatever it was) to turn the wheel and head due east. The wind blew the massive sails ahead, gliding it through the water. Lexstrik raised an eyebrow. The sails had many holes in them and some were ripped beyond mending. She wondered how it could move with the wind like a normal boat. Then she realized; this wasn't a normal boat. The _Flying Dutchman_ was feared by every pirate in the world. It was a symbol of approaching death...the symbol that it was all over. Few were lucky to survive when the ship appeared. Those who did usually wound up on the crew of the _Flying Dutchman_. Lexstrik shut her eyes and let the smell of the sea lull her into a sleep on her feet. Her hands were placed firmly on the side of the ship and she swayed back and forth slowly as she slept.

Then the boat stopped. Davy came clunking over to her and jabbed her shoulder with the claw. "We've arrived," he growled. Lexstrik rubbed her eye and looked around. It seemed as if they were still out in the middle of the ocean. However, a small island with a ruined church lay in the distance. She wheeled around at Davy.

"He's there?" she asked. He nodded slowly. "You're sure?" Davy scowled.

"Missy, I am the sea. You either trust my judgement..." he looked over his shoulder, "or you don't." The girl gulped and then stared at the island. It was one thing looking at it; getting to it was a whole other ordeal. However, she closed her eyes and sighed. She climbed up the railing she had clenched before and stood on top of it. She took a deep breath and jumped. Instead of feeling the splash of water, she felt herself collapse on a patch of sand. She slowly stood up and brushed her cloak off. Over her shoulder, she spied the Flying Dutchman sinking slowly beneath the waves. Then a familiar voice filled her ears.

"Well, that's something new," it said, "Never seen a girl appear on the beach in the blink of an eye. I must say..." the voice was accompanied by footsteps in the sand. Lexstrik looked up and saw him. He wore black pants tucked into his leather boots. A cloth belt dangled from his waist with a trail of it floating over his boot. He wore a black leather vest and a frilly white shirt. The man's hands were covered in black cloth and a faded scar on his wrist was barely visible. Lexstrik knew it immediately from the shape of the letter "P". It was the brand of a pirate. His braided brown hair draped his shoulders (the length reminded her of Maxiwill's) and his head was wrapped in a red bandana. His beard was braided like his hair, with beads dangling at the bottoms. Lexstrik clenched her fists then ran at him, colliding and slamming her fist onto his shoulder.

"You...you..." she stammered, "You heartless...Jack Sparrow!!" she gulped. She couldn't find what she wanted to say. There was so much. The man patted her on the back.

"Can't say that I've seen the likes of you around before, miss," he said cooly. The girl suddenly looked taken aback, "but you clearly know who _I _am. Now, who are you?" he took a step back, holding his arms up and bending his fingers slightly. The two then heard the clicking of a tongue.

"Wow," said a voice, "After all this time, you don't recognize her?" A black cloud emerged very close to the water and a red-haired man emerged from it. Axel ran a hand through his hair. "Some lover. Lexstrik, you've got horrid taste. First Jack, then Maxi, and then back to Jack? Can't say I've seen it get worse than that." He waved his hand carelessly as Lexstrik felt her face grow red.

"First of all, what do you want?!" she barked, pulling herself away from Jack, "Second! Maxiwill and I have _nothing _between us. He's a arrogant, self-centered child!" Axel let out a chortle.

"Really?" he asked, moving closer to them, "Yet you defended him when I said nearly the same thing. Remember?" he tapped his temple and shook his head. "Talk about vacant." Lexstrik's fists tightened and her scowl grew. Black whisps of smoke wrapped themselves around her fists.

"Leave Maxi out of it!" she ordered, "If you want to fight, I won't back down!" Jack looked from the girl to Axel as they exchanged their insults. He then look at Lexstrik.

"What exactly is a 'Maxiwill'?" he asked, "Furthermore, what are you even here for? There be no treasure on this island. Other than..." he paused. Lexstrik shot a look at the pirate as if demanding him to continue. Axel had also gained a spark of interest, "...the heart of Davy Jones." Axel smirked.

"Hear that, Lex?" he laughed, "A heart! Looks like you can finally leave that child to his play time." Lexstrik felt a weight pull her arms down and noticed that her two daggers had formed in her hands. She tightened her grip on the handles and then stared Axel down. As much as she thought he would be a help to the three Nobodies, she couldn't help but feel that at this point, he was becoming more of a hinderance than a help. Axel examined the weapons that had appeared and held his arms out. Black spirals and smoke spun outward from his shoulders and to his palms. Two wheels formed at his fingertips and he grasped the middle of the chakrum. He spun one around on his left hand. Before Lexstrik moved forward, Jack took a step.

"Listen, I'm not sure what this fight is all about," he pulled his sword from its sheath and held it up, "but no woman shall come to harm under my eyes." Sure enough, his eyes seemed to lose any spark they had to them. It was replaced with an angry stare. Axel jumped back and twirled one of his weapons around his hand.

"All right, then. I can take you two," he laughed and tossed one of his wheels.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Maxiwill and Elyxca came to a pause as they entered the town square. A large fountain was in the middle of it, spewing green water from its mouth. A light smog floated from it and disappeared into the night. Maxiwill looked around frantically for any sign of life. However, the streets were dead. The only things that moved were the bass, accordian and saxaphone players that stood across them on a corner. They were old, from what they could tell. The bass player was short and pudgy, the bass was at least a foot taller than he was. The accordian player was tall and broad shouldered. His face resembled that of a frog and his eyes were closed halfway. The saxaphone player was the shortest of the three, with a long chin that curved downward with the bend in the instrument that he played. The three were all wearing the same red and black pinstriped suits. Maxiwill approached them and looked at the brass player. "Nice coat," said the shortest with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Maxiwill beared his fangs.

"You want to run that by me again?" The band all laughed collectively.

"You think we're afraid of those puny things?" the smallest asked jokingly, "Some of the vampires around these parts have fangs as long as your hand." The boy stepped back and then looked around. Elyxca floated over and landed softly next to the male Nobody.

"We're looking for something," the girl said. They each raised an eyebrow as if asking what it was. "A heart." The three laughed again.

"Hearts don't just come up, girly," said the bass player. At least, the two thought it was the bass player. Upon further inspection, Maxiwill and Elyxca both noticed a head inside of the instrument that was talking to them. "You could ask the Professor. He makes some strange things." The two then turned around and walked away. The band played a very slow tune, the saxaphone being more audible than the other two instruments. Maxiwill sat down on the edge of the fountain with Elyxca next to him. The tips of her wings graced the surface of the green liquid. The boy then noticed a tall and lanky figure leaving what seemed to be an observatory. He squinted and saw it's legs were very long and its arms were just the same. A small round object rested on its shoulders.

"Why, hello there!" he called out to the two Nobodies, waving a thin arm around. It was a skeleton! "Haven't seen you two before. Are you here for the Halloween festivities?" he asked. Maxiwill blinked at Elyxca and let out an 'uhh...' before he looked at the skeleton again.

"Sure. We'll stay," he smirked, "On one condition. At the end of it, we get a heart. Both of us." He pointed at himself then at the girl.

"Right!" she said happily, "And then we'll be on our merry way out of here!" The skeleton placed a hand on his jaw and thought it over for a moment.

"A heart?" he repeated. His voice was playful and enthusiastic, "Sure! Professor Finklestein had made one not too long ago! It's got a few kinks in it, but I'm sure it will suit your needs perfectly!" The two Nobodies smirked. Maxiwill took Elyxca away for a moment, pushing her softly. When the skeleton was out of earshot (not that he had ears).

"Made one?" Maxiwill whispered, "You can make hearts?" The girl shrugged her shoulders as she looked at him. "Well, we'll stay for the fun, take the heart and then have a little bit of 'fun' of our own!" he laughed heartily. The girl smirked.

"You're bad, Maxi." She then turned to look at the skeleton, who wore a very confused look on his face. "My name is Elyxca! And this is Maxiwill," the Nobody waved slightly.

"I'm Jack! Jack Skellington!" he placed a bony hand on his chest and puffed it out proudly, "The Pumpkin King!" He then looked at the two. "Well, I have to get ready for the festival. You two had better start thinking up ways to install terror into the hearts of our citizens! That's what we're all about in Halloween Town!" he waved goodbye and headed up a street, tossing a coin into the hat that lay in front of the three instrument players. A smirk played on Maxiwill's lips.

"Oh, we'll strike terror into them all right. A terror _we've _devised all our own." He looked at Elyxca and they both started laughing quietly.


	9. Battles for Hearts! Double Failure?

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

There was a clang of metal against metal. Lexstrik had shut her eyes tightly. The flaming chakrum was stopped dead in the air by a sword. It didn't belong to her. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the figure of Jack Sparrow before her. His back was turned and his eyes stared at Axel with an unfamiliar light. He smirked. The weapon of the male Nobody fell into the sand with a soft 'thud'. Axel held up a hand and his fingers wrapped around the handle in the center as it warped back with a bright flash of flame. Lexstrik could barely make out that a bit of the sand of the beach had turned into glass. Axel jumped back and spun the chakrum around his hands casually.

"Well, well," he chortled, "so the Captain fights." Jack pulled a gun from a holster on his belt and fired. In the blink of an eye, a wall of fire made of burning pillars shot up from the sand and protected Axel. Again, rings of glass appeared where the fire had made contact. The female finally came to her senses. As the two men fought, Lexstrik placed her daggers together and shut her eyes. Wisps of black smoke and white light surrounded her hands (much like when she was imitating Maxiwill's weapon) and felt the weight of the daggers disappear. They were replaced with copies of Axel's burning wheels. She had done this before, in a battle between four Nobodies involving herself, Maxiwill, Axel, and Xaldin. Lexstrik spun the purple and white chakrum around her fingers as a coy smirk appeared on her lips. She dashed forward, sand blasting upward from where she had jumped. Gun shots echoed as Jack continued to load and reload his gun slowly. He found himself rolling around in the dirt many times to dodge a burning wheel that was chucked his direction from the red head.

"Jack, get back!" Lexstrik cried out, bending her left arm and throwing the weapon. Jack turned quickly.

"What?" he asked, and then ducked as the chakrum flew over his head and singed the top of his hat with a purple flame. He removed his hat and threw it into the sand, the flame extinguishing immediately. Axel held up his weapon and blocked the clone. It disappeared in a flash of purple flames and reappeared in Lexstrik's grip.

"So, you're back to making copies?" He laughed, running at her. His weapons locked with hers and they stood at a stalemate. They both pushed against each other, trying to knock the other over, "Be original, Lexstrik!" Axel barked, tightening his grip on the chakrum and jumping back. As he floated nimbly through the air, he tossed both flaming wheels in her direction. Lexstrik squeaked and instinctively tossed her copies. The four weapons didn't connect, however, and she felt a sharp tinge in her bicep as one of the wheels cut through her sleeve and made a small burn on her flesh. The other wheel spun through the bottom of her coat, merely opening it. In an instant, however, the clothing slowly began to repair itself. She looked astonished and then shot a glare up at Axel. Her weapons had missed entirely. Simultaneously, the two Nobodies brought their weapons back to themselves. Again, they jumped at each other, bringing the chakrum down on each other as if they were swords. The clang of metal on metal echoed through the small beach. Jack merely watched with a casual smirk.

"Well, I do believe that I will…" he turned around and began to walk away from the fight, "Start looking for that heart." Jack walked in a very odd fashion. His arms were held up and his fingers were bent with his pointer finger straight up. His feet moved casually and he swayed his top half side to side. Lexstrik spotted him and threw a chakrum. It landed in the sand with a sharp _clink_. The man turned, not noticing the weapon floating out of the ground and returning to the girl.

"Where are YOU going?" she barked, narrowly dodging another double-chakrum assault from Axel. Jack smirked and turned his back.

"I'm off to find the treasure, dear," he then heard the sound of footsteps in the sand. They were very rapid. He froze in his tracks as he looked over his shoulder to see Axel and Lexstrik both running at him. He let out a yelp and began to run as well. His run was much different than his walk. "Can't say it wasn't nice to see you!" he called out, jumping over a fallen tree branch as he entered the dense forest on the island. Lexstrik scowled and repeatedly threw her weapons, recalling them almost instantly. Axel, on the other hand, was now jumping along the tree branches. Fire trailed behind him with every jump. Jack ducked beneath a very low branch and then looked over his shoulder. A smile appeared on his lips when he noticed Lexstrik had disappeared from behind him. However, that smile was short lived as he slammed into a tree. He stumbled backward and shook his head, feeling a bit dazed. "I meant to do that," he mumbled, walking slowly around it. Jack froze once more. Four points were now at his neck, each from one of the four wheels that Lexstrik and Axel were calling 'weapons'.

"Give me the heart!" Lexstrik and Axel both cried out. They then stared at each other.

"What do you want it for?!" Lexstrik shrieked. Axel shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, that's none of your business, now is it?" The girl scowled and held up her weapons. Axel clicked his tongue. "Don't think I didn't watch you and Maxiwill fight. I know all about the downside to your weapons." He held his arms out to his sides and let his chakrum vanish in a will-of-the-wisp. That moment, Lexstrik's copies disappeared and returned to their original form. She let out a small gasp and before she could continue, Axel spoke again. "Now then, take your little toys and go home." He looked at where Jack was sitting…literally, where Jack was sitting. The man had disappeared in the midst of the argument. The two Nobodies turned their heads to see him climbing up a large hill that lead to the broken down church building with the large cogwheel beside it.

"See that!" Lexstrik pointed, the daggers disappearing much like Axel's chakrum had, "You let him get away!" She stared at him darkly. Axel said nothing and began to run up the hill, closing the gap between Jack and himself. Lexstrik followed, jumping over a branch and landing beside Axel. "Everything was fine before you showed up!" she growled.

"Really?" the man laughed, "It looked to me like you were going to kiss him had I not shown up!" He swerved and narrowly missed a large tree trunk. Color appeared on the girl's cheeks.

"So what if I had?!" she yelled. A bird flew from its nest when it heard the tone of voice she had. Axel said nothing and merely looked away. As he approached the church, Jack was already at the top of the building. Lexstrik looked at the man as he stood valiantly at the top, his figure silhouetted against the blue sky. Jack looked down and called out.

"Sorry, children! But the heart of Davy Jones is mine!" He jumped from the top of the church to the top of the cogwheel that lay attached to the ruin. It groaned beneath his weight. Axel and Lexstrik both jumped into the air and landed softly on the wheel. It once again let out a groan. They then heard a cracking noise and the wheel moved. It broke off from the church with a mighty force, causing the three of them to stumble. Lexstrik slipped off the side and caught herself on the edge. However, since the wheel was starting to roll, she became closer and closer to the ground. An idea appeared in her head. When she was close enough to the grass, Lexstrik swung herself to the inside of the wheel and began to run inside of it. She felt like a hamster doing its morning exercises. She had continually ducked beneath the three metal poles that were inside the wheel that supported it. She could hear Axel and Jack fighting up top, the clang of metal on metal once again echoing in her ears. She guessed the Nobody had returned his chakrum for another round. The cogwheel broke through tree branches and rolled over many hill tops and landed hard on the next level of land. With each landing, Lexstrik felt a sudden pain going through her legs and up through her entire body. Her head began to ache and she started to lose focus. And then there was a loud _CLANG!_ as her forehead hit one of the metal staves inside of the wheel. She fell over and rolled out of the cogwheel, laying face up in the grass. Her head was now pounding with a pain she had never felt before. The wheel became smaller and smaller as it disappeared into the dense forest. She sat up and rubbed her head. She knew for a fact that a rather large and nasty bruise was going to form. Lexstrik then fell onto her back and let out a loud scream. "_I HATE MEN!_" Many birds flew away from the trees and dotted the blue sky, or at least what was visible through the many leaves. An idea popped into her head once more. She stood up quickly. "Well then," she said, brushing herself off. Another twinge of pain coursed through her body, starting at her forehead then moving to the base of her feet. She had never hurt so much before, "This is my chance to find that heart." She began to head back to the beach, her mind racing. These thoughts only caused her head to ache even more. She climbed over a branch and slid down a small hill on the heels of her boots.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Midnight approached on Halloween Town as all the civilians moved to the town square for the celebration. Jack Skellington had chosen Maxiwill and Elyxca as his own guests of honor. The boy smirked and felt that everything was going to go according to the small plan he had devised in his head. He looked over to Elyxca, who nodded. The music began to kick up through the town square and the residents of Halloween Town began to sing and dance together, telling frightening stories of how they scare others. The Mayor, a short man with a very tall hat and changing personalities stood on top of his car, which reminded Elyxca of a hurse with a carriage in the back. A large megaphone rested on top of the vehicle, striped with black and white. The vampires emerged from their residences, a group of them appearing from a large cathedrial. Maxiwill looked closely and let out a small gasp. Their fangs were no bigger than his! He shot a cold look at the saxaphone player of the trio, who caught his gaze. The large-chined creature let out a guffaw and then continued to play on his instrument. Maxiwill scooted closer to Elyxca. "I swear, when Halloween Town is ours..." he looked over his shoulder to the band member then back to the girl, "He'll be the first to go." Elyxca let out a small girlish laugh. She then began to look around.

"Where's Jack?" she asked. Maxiwill shrugged. Then a chorus began to sing out:

_Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back and SCREAM like a banshee, make you jump out of your skin! This is Halloween! _

A large man with an axe in his head began pulling a horse made of hay through the city's gate. A large scarecrow rested on top of it, looking quite still. Maxiwill looked closer. It suddenly moved and snatched up a torch that one of the creatures was holding up in celebration. Elyxca gasped as it swallowed the fire and caught ablaze. The eyes of the pumpkin on its head began to glow brightly.

_Our man Jack is King of the pumpkin patch! Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King, now! _

So the question of the Nobodies was answered: That scarecrow was Jack himself. He began to dance on the horse and spewed flames at the other civilians who gave out a collective gasp. He then jumped from the horse and landed with an inaudible splash into the green liquid of the fountain. Two small children (a mummy and a child with its eyes stiched shut) stood beside the stone of the fountain.

_In this town we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song. _

The two children then backed away into the crowd as Jack Skellington emerged from the liquid to a collective chorus of 'La La La!'. His bat shaped tie began to fan its wings outward. Maxiwill stood up from the step he was sitting on, Elyxca moving to stand beside him. He pushed his half-moon spectacles up the bridge of his nose and watched as Jack removed himself from the fountain and placed himself on the stone around the fountain. Everybody cheered and clapped loudly. The Mayor took a microphone and placed it to his smiling face.

"Great Halloween everybody!" Maxiwill let out a laugh as the front of the megaphone on the car began to expand the bowl of it to make his words louder. Jack laughed.

"And I would like to introduce everyone to..." he turned to look at the two Nobodies who were sitting on the step of the cathedrial the vampires had emerged from, "Elyxca and Maxiwill! They said they would help us celebrate!" The two Nobodies moved forward and waved casually. They felt popular.

"Hear, hear, Jack!" Maxiwill said as he snatched the Mayor's microphone. Elyxca took it from him.

"This Halloween will be your favorite!" The girl handed it back to the short Mayor and laughed silently with Maxiwill. The male Nobody tugged on Jack's boney arm and asked if he could pull him aside. The skeleton agreed and walked with him to the cathedrial, where it was rather quiet. Elyxca had approached the side of Maxiwill and looked at Jack.

"So?" the boy asked, "Where's our payment? The heart?" He held out a gloved hand as if demanding the skeleton to give him the heart at that moment. Jack laughed and then explained that they would have to go to Professor Finklestein's lab and ask for it there. He pointed a long and slender finger (pearl white, just like his skull) at a small cylindrical shaped building with a massive metal sphere atop it. There was a single window that was caged over. Maxiwill stared from the building then back to the skeleton. "All right. Once we get our heart, we'll be on our way." The boy turned his back, his cloak swishing behind him. Elyxca nodded and skipped up a little ways to catch him. Jack blinked and tilted his head as the Mayor annouced the award for the 'Most Blood Drained In A Single Evening', once again won by the vampires. A mild applause followed this; it wasn't a surprise to anybody.

Maxiwill followed up the stone path with Elyxca at his heels. He kept poking the bottom of his extended canines with his tongue, laughing each time he felt the sharp twinge go through his body. The girl kept her wings hugged tightly to her back. Maxiwill pushed open the gate and walked up the steps to the large metal door. The sphere atop the building was a lot bigger than he had thought. Elyxca pounded a fist on the door, hearing it echo in the bowels of the structure. "Coming..." a nasaly voice called out. It was about a minute or so before the door opened. The two let out a small gasp as they saw what had opened the door. A man sat dressed in a bright white lab coat, the same color as his white head. His mouth reminded Elyxca of a duck bill, and he had small beady eyes covered by black sunglasses. He had very tiny hands the moved along the lever of the electric wheelchair that he sat in. "Who are you two?" he growled.

"Professor Finklestein, I presume?" Maxiwill asked, tilting his head. The man nodded and wheeled his chair back, allowing them to come in. Elyxca went in first, followed by the boy. He felt his cheek graced by the tip of her wing very softly. When the stood up to his full height inside, he closed the door and looked up. A large spiral went up to the top of the building, with a single door. Maxiwill guessed that door led to the room with the one window. Elyxca looked at the Professor with a soft smile.

"We're here for our payment. Jack told us you had made a heart?" Professor Finklestein looked ghastly as he opened up his head and began to scratch the pink brain that rested inside. Maxiwill let his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth as he let out a groan of disgust.

"Well, Jack promised you a heart, eh?" he wheeled passed the two of them to another door on their left, "Can't argue with the King of Halloween. Follow me, please." He closed his head with a soft clunk. Maxiwill stole a glance to Elyxca before he followed the handicapped scientist. The girl Nobody followed shortly behind, keeping up with a slight skip. The door opened without the touch of a hand and revealed a large study. Considering the size of the building, Maxiwill thought there to be many more of these rooms (similar or not) scattered through out. A pile of metal rested on a steel table. He cocked an eyebrow at this before he felt something thrusted into his chest. A green object rest in his hands. A gross feeling went through him. The feeling of leather rubbed against leather. His gloves held the leather object. To make matters worse, it was pulsing with a digusting squealch. It was bound by three steel locks. Maxiwill examined it, watching it pump, as if it were trying to push something in and out of itself.

"Is this it?" he asked. Finklestein nodded. The boy smirked and tossed it up and down, catching it slyly. Elyxca held out a hand to hold on to it for him. "Some heart." He scoffed and walked out of the room. Elyxca followed, clinging the heart to her chest. Maxiwill opened the front door and looked from the stoop downward to what he could see of the town. Some of the festivities were continuing and he could see Jack's white head standing out around the many blacks and oranges that dotted about him. However, the Pumpkin King turned around on a dime and disappeared from sight, leaving through the town's main gate. Maxiwill looked at Elyxca and shook his head.

"Something wrong?" she asked him, tilting her head and placing a finger on her cheek.

"That thing," he pointed at the pulsing object in Elyxca's hand, "That 'heart'," Maxiwill scowled, turning back to look at the town, "I doubt we can use it. He lied to us..." he laughed lightly, "And nobody lies to me." He shook his head again, a chortle escaping him. Elyxca smiled and followed him when he started walking down the steps.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Sand washed over her boots as the Nobody took the first steps out of the forest. Her nostrils were flushed over with the scent of sea water and a strong smell of salt. Lexstrik scratched her temple as she thought for a moment. She shut her eyes and hoped that something would guide her to this heart of Davy Jones that Jack mentioned. "If I were a heart wh---" she slapped her forehead and groaned, "That's something Maxiwill would say..." she mumbled, "The idiot." Two small hills of dirt appeared in the distance, each capped with a small amount of grass. She cocked an eyebrow. "Grass?" she said to herself, "In the middle of a beach?" She advanced towards the hills, slipping in the sand once. Lexstrik brushed her boots off when she finally reached the right side mound, and she looked around her in a few circles before pausing. "Oh this is so _stupid!_ I can't find it alone!" Then there was a deafening crack as a tree branch blew from the forest next to her. It landed fairly close to her, the tip of it burning slightly. A moment later, the cogwheel came bursting through the brush. She stepped back aimlessly and fell backwards. Atop the wheel were two fighting figures. Flashes of fire and slashes of swords reflected in her eyes. Axel jumped from the wheel and landed in a cloud of sand onto the beach. His figure was a shadow against the dust. The shadow disappeared and jumped towards the man on the wheel. Axel held his chakrum high above his head and brought them down across the back of Jack Sparrow's head. The captain fell with a soft thud into the sand, face down. Lexstrik let out a soft scream and then allowed her daggers to form in a flash of light. The cogwheel spun out of control and landed into the shallows of the water with a loud splash. This splash covered up the loud yell that Axel annouced when the daggers cut into his side. The girl then stared downward at Jack Sparrow, the unconcious captain. Axel took a step back, holding his side with one hand, both his chakrum with the other. Lexstrik knelt down in the side and turned Jack over. His beard was covered in sand, making it difficult to find any hint that it was a black beard. She brushed his cheeks off and attempted to dust off his beard when Axel let out a cough.

"Don't even bother," he said, "Doesn't look like your precious captain is going to wake up any time soon." Lexstrik stood up and growled, gripping her daggers tightly. She loosened her grip and narrowed her eyes on the red haired Nobody.

"If he's dead, you better be sure you make yourself scarce." Any idea she had of copying his chakrum disappeared from her head. She now felt that her daggers would cause much more damage than his weapons. Axel smirked and shook his head.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" he let out a short laugh, "I'm a member of Organization XIII. You and your little buddies Maxiwill and Elyxca, clever as you may be, aren't enough to take me out." Lexstrik said nothing at this. With a final glance at Jack Sparrow, she jumped and formed a cloud of dust. Axel held up his hands and the chakrums deflected her daggers away for the time being. Lexstrik let out a soft cry out and tossed one of the blades at him. While he was worried about the blade, the female was free to let out an assault with one weapon alone. Axel scowled and knocked the flying weapon to the ground with a solid smack. It fell with a thud into the sand. However, he was unable to block the dagger that Lexstrik held in her fist. It cut his robe on the sleeve and made a rather deep cut into his arm. He held up his hands, his fingers clenched around the handles of his chakrum. They disappeared in a flaming burst. Axel held up his cut arm and a swirling portal appeared from the ground. "Hmm. So, you're not as weak as I thought you were..." Axel whispered, walking toward the portal. Before Lexstrik could say anything, he had already disappeared. She summoned the fallen dagger back to her hand and allowed both of them to disappear in a flash of light. The girl then dashed to the fallen captain, lifting him up. His body was limp.

"Jack! Wake up!" she cried out, shaking him. His eyes shot open.

"I'd rather not be shaken, thank you," he whispered, sitting up. He stroked his beard and sand fell from it like a strangely colored rain. Lexstrik smiled weakly. "Now then..." Jack stood up and brandished his sword. The girl stood as well, opening her mouth to say something. However, Jack shook his head, "We were fighting over the heart of Davy Jones. I'm not letting _you _take it," he jumped at her. The woman turned on her heel and blinked at him.

"Jack!" she barked, "We can find the heart together!" Jack shook his head.

"Whoever has the heart controls Davy Jones," at this, he let himself laugh slightly, "and whoever controls Davy Jones controls the sea itself." The man swung at her again and once again she dodged. Lexstrik shook her head hopelessly.

"There's no getting through to you, is there, Jack?" she whimpered, "Don't you understand that I can be myself again if I get that heart?" The man stopped dead, "The Kristel that you knew will be back! We can go purge and raid again! We'll be the most feared pirate duo in the world!" Jack thought for a moment. She continued, "The Black Pearl, Jack! Together, we can captain the Pearl!" The man approached her and took her hand in his, the sword falling with a soft clank into the sand. He nodded softly and a smile appeared on her lips. The man pulled his compass from his pocket and handed it to her.

"It will find anything your heart desi---" he paused and took the compass back, "Sorry. Forgot." The dial inside the contraption spun around in circles, then pointed to the spot between the two grass-topped sand hills. Lexstrik and Jack moved toward the spot and stopped only with the compass began to spin very quickly. The man closed the object with a snap and crouched into the sand. Lexstrik summoned her daggers to her hands. She, too, knelt into the dirt and shoved the pointed end of the weapon into the sand. She began to push off to the sides, sand flying to her left and right. The Nobody moved quickly through the sand, her blades made for very effecient trowels. It was about ten minutes of silent digging before there was a soft clunk. She looked up at the pirate, a bead of sweat trailing down from her temple to her chin. It dripped into the sand and she let out a soft laugh. Jack began to brush away sand from what her dagger hit. Eventually, the top of a brown box began to emerge. Lexstrik's jaw dropped as the man heaved the box out of the dirt and set it inbetween them. He stared at the lock that dangled in the front. Jack's fingers snapped once or twice, signaling for Lexstrik to hand him a dagger. She did so and he began to hit the lock repeatedly until it burst loudly. Shards of thick metal fell to the sand. He opened the lid and found many documents and rolled up pieces of parchment. The two moved these items out of the way and came to the real treasure: a black box with a round lid. Carefully, Jack removed this chest from the larger one and placed it in the dirt. Lexstrik placed her ear to it. _Thump thump. _It was the sound of a beating heart. She examined it for a lock. There were two keyholes situated in a heart-shaped insignia. It looked as if two keys were needed. This problem was solved quickly. Lexstrik saw Jack moving around his hand in his pocket. He then removed a single key. It was the strangest key she had ever seen, not counting that spikey-haired boy's Keyblade. It was round on the bottom and two towers pertruded from the ring. One was longer than the other. At the tip of each pillar was a single tooth.

"Where did you find that?" she asked him. Jack waved a finger and said nothing. He inserted the key until he heard a click. He then turned very slowly to the right. When it unlocked, bars of steel pushed outward from the chest. Lexstrik took one side of the lid while Jack took the other. Together, and very slowly, they lifted the top and saw one lone object inside. It was making a digusting squelch with each pulse. It was covered in coral and looked as if it had been dropped in the sand many times. She made a move to take the heart when she saw it vanish in a swish of white. Jack held it in his hand and felt it contract and expand. He smiled.

"Well, thank you for your help. Now, I must go," he walked away. Lexstrik stood up from the sand and brushed off her knees.

"Why, you low-down, dirty...!!" She snatched up her daggers and moved very slowly toward him, the grip on her weapons very tight. Beneath her black gloves, her knuckles were very white. "You used me! All you wanted help from me for was to dig up that piece of rubbish!" Whisps of black smoke lashed out from her hands. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyes were narrow. Her mouth was in the form of a scowl. Jack paused and turned on his heel very nonchalantly.

"Well, in a word..." he rolled his eyes and tilted his head from left to right, "Yes." Lexstrik let out an aggravated scream and tossed one of her daggers at him. The weapon spun through the air in horizontal circles. The captain had ducked just in time to avoid a slashed throat. "Oh, bugga," he whispered as Lexstrik dashed at him. He turned quickly, kicking up sand and blinding the girl for a moment. In the dust, Lexstrik managed to sweep an arm down and grab her blade to resume her chase. Jack ran, holding the heart of Davy Jones against his chest. He made a turn toward the forest, jumping over the brush and branches and being very careful not to drop the heart. Lexstrik wasn't too far behind. She took the tip from Axel and was jumping nimbly through the trees. Leaves and twigs brushed against her ears and sent a soft tickling sensation through her body everytime. Jack shoved the heart into his shirt and began to climb up the large hill that led to the ruined church and the spot where the cogwheel had once stood. The female Nobody jumped from the branch and landed below him. Instinctively, she shoved her daggers into the wall of grass and dirt and began to climb with them, using them as handles. Jack realized how close she was and this gave him enough energy to scale the wall and run toward the church. He looked over his shoulder and stopped. He removed his pistol from the holster and waited. As soon as Lexstrik's head poked from over the hill, he fired. The bullet shattered the side of the symbol that held up her hair in the luxorious bun. She placed a hand on the shattered metal and then looked at Jack.

"Aim is still as bad as ever, I see!" She pulled herself up and pulled her daggers out of the dirt. Jack ran once more, slipping his gun into the holster on his belt. Lexstrik didn't realize that the object that held her hair up was slowly beginning to repair itself, much like her jacket had when she was fighting Axel on the beach. Instead of going into the church, Jack moved past it and made haste for the other side of the island. The elevation was rising, though not in a sudden wall as it had down in the forest, but in the form of a very steep hill. Lexstrik pursued him, now waiting to tire him out to attack rather than to make her assault blindly. The man swerved around a lone tree that rested on the hill, jumped over a headstone of the graveyard and narrowly missed an open grave. Lexstrik, however, wasn't so lucky. Though she had dodged the tree, her foot caught the headstone and caused her to trip into the grave. She looked up and pulled herself out. Her chest moved up and down quickly as she took many deep breaths. Her hair dangled in front of her face in more strands than usual. She blew upward and her hair settled back into place before falling back limply in front of her eyes. Lexstrik shook some dirt off her foot and looked upward. Jack was already at the top of the hill. She growled and followed, eventually realizing why he stopped; it was a dead fall. The cliff loomed over the ocean and Lexstrik didn't dare look down. Jack, however, merely looked down, turned and smiled at her.

"Well, my dear, it's a shame we had to meet like this," he said, "but you can remember this as the day you almost caught..." he took a few steps backwards toward the cliff, "Captain Jack Sparrow." He fell backwards and plunged downward toward the water. Lexstrik let out a gasp and dashed to the edge. She looked down and realized why he had fallen. The Black Pearl lay in the water, ready to accept its captain. Jack's hands writhed around the ropes of the sail and he slid down to the deck. He looked up at her, the girl was a small speck against the sky to him now. She noticed him wave and then disappear into the quarters of the ship. She backed away from the ledge and her daggers disappeared. She laughed silently to herself, which then turned into another angry scream.

"Damn you...Jack..._SPARROW!_" she cried out, holding up her hand and creating a black portal. Blue streaks of lightning dashed across it and smoke billowed out and around it. "I hate men..." she growled, walking into the darkness and disappearing from the island.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Screams echoed through the town, much more than usual now. Creatures were running away from the two Nobodies, who were both holding up small children by the necks of their shirts. The Mayor waddled back and forth, his hat gone and his face switched to the white and upset face. "I knew inviting them was a bad idea!!" he cried out. Maxiwill turned and let the small green child he was holding fall to the ground. A monster that resembled human and fish swept up the child and dove into the town's fountain.

"Oh, please. Be quiet, old man!" Maxiwill laughed, punching in the Mayor's direction. There was no physical contact. A large gust of wind pushed from his elbow and blew outward. The Mayor fell over and rolled dumbly down the slope of the town. Meanwhile, there was no sign of Jack Skellington. Elyxca approached the fallen Mayor and put a boot firmly on his side.

"Where's Jack?" she asked.

"He went out for a moment!" he cried out, feeling the female putting a bit more pressure onto him, "He said he'd be back soon! Just wanted to clear his head!" He heard Maxiwill laugh.

"Can't take too long, then!" He was now toying with the two witches. They had tried to escape on broomstick, but he managed to force the wind to hold them back. The male was now making them twirl around in circles as they cried out for help, "He's a skeleton, right? There's nothing in his head _TO _clear!" Maxiwill let the witches drop to the stone in a heap. They whined loudly before scrambling back onto their brooms and flying over the gate of the town. In the speed they took off in, Maxiwill guessed they wouldn't be coming back any time soon. Maxiwill strode over to the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. He told her to let the Mayor go. Reluctantly, she removed her boot from his back, not without pushing down one more time. The beaten Mayor crawled over to his oddly shaped car and climbed into the driver's seat. He snatched up the microphone and spoke into it:

"Evacuate the city!" As he spoke, the mouth of the megaphone expanded and contracted with his voice. There weren't many civilians left in the town to hear this annoucement. Maybe the Mayor just liked to talk a lot. He escaped through the town's gate and disappeared over the hill. Elyxca crossed her arms and tapped her foot. There was a small scream as a mummy child ran past them.

"Stop there!" Maxiwill barked. He snapped his fingers and a large gust of wind lifted the child upward. He was spinning like a top, whining the whole time. He dropped the child when he felt something very hot streak passed his ear. The heat was so intense that it caused a bead of sweat to drip from his temple. Elyxca turned on her heel and let out a small gasp. Maxiwill watched the child run away before he too turned around. Jack Skellington stood behind them, his face lit up by a blazing pumpkin in his hand.

"How dare you treat my friends so _shamefully_!" he barked, throwing the pumpkin. It exploded into Maxiwill's stomach, causing him to double over in pain. He placed his hand on his stomach and looked up at Jack. He bared his fangs. Although he was a vampire in this world, it wouldn't do any good to try and suck the blood of a skeleton; he didn't have any. Another burning pumpkin materialized in Jack's boney fist. "I invite you as guest and this is how you repay us?!" This time, he threw it at Elyxca. However, Maxiwill raised a fist and let it explode into his palm. A singe of pain went through his entire arm.

"You owed us a heart!" Elyxca snapped, "We can't use that garbage that Finklestein had!"

"A heart is a heart!" Jack replied, forming another pumpkin, "What drove you two to attack my friends?" he threw the pumpkin, both Nobodies dodging it and feeling it burst into the fountain. Elyxca walked behind Maxiwill and slipped her arms around his waist and expanded her wings. The two were lifted into the air.

"We were hoping to find a real heart," the boy replied, "Not a fake heart of some scientist's creation." Maxiwill snapped his fingers and a gust of wind knocked Jack backwards. The skeleton jumped up quickly, his long legs moving very similar to a spider. He dashed beneath the two Nobodies and jumped into the fountain. It was silent for a moment. The only sound was the soft noise Elyxca's wings made whenever she flapped them. A tall pillar of green liquid shot upward into the sky and a flaming scarecrow stood on top of the gargoyle that supplied the water to the fountain. It's face was obscured by fire, but Maxiwill could clearly make out two very angry eyes. It stood tall.

"You two will leave Halloween Town," Jack spoke, "and never return!" He pounced from the gargoyle and spouted flames at the two. Elyxca rose upwards, the fire only catching the bottom of Maxiwill's boot. The Pumpkin King stood below, looking up at them. He pulled his boney hands back and shot many flaming pumpkins out of thin air. Maxiwill wriggled himself free of Elyxca's grip and fell to the ground. It was a move that had to be made to ensure neither of them was hit. The male Nobody held his arm up in the air and let a dark orb form around his palm. The wind kicked up around him and his coat flared in the gust. His hair whipped around wildly as darkness flowed out of the orb and began to take shape. In a flash of light, Maxiwill's large boomerang hovered above him before he wrapped his fingers around the handle and let it push down on him. His knees buckled. He smirked. Elyxca landed next to him and closed her eyes. The shadows cast from the fountain and building began to run toward her. Eventually, nothing cast a shadow. The darkness wrapped around her hands and began to form into sharp points. Gold and lilac claws wrapped around her leather gloves. They glimmered in the flames of Jack's fire. The Pumpkin King seemed unphased at the appearance of these weapons. Instead, he let loose a barrage of burning pumpkins, all of which were dodged easily.

"Work on your aim, Jack!" Maxiwill called, throwing his boomerang with all his might. It spun wildly in a mad circle, wind kicking up and blowing violently in all directions. The Pumpkin King was too quick, however. He jumped nimbly into the air and landed on the Nobody's weapon. Upon the boomerang's return trip, Jack blew a rush of fire into Maxiwill's face. The Nobody failed to catch his boomerang at this and instead covered his eyes. The weapon smashed into him, knocking the wind from him and sending him into the fountain. It shattered and green liquid dripped onto his head. He sat up weakly, the weight of the boomerang on his waist was too much. Jack did a very acrobatic backflip away and fired a few more flaming pumpkins at the female. She took flight once more and managed to let only one smash against her boot. She dove downward towards the scarecrow, her claws outward as if she were a bird catching a fish in a lake. Jack felt the claws dig through the sleeve on his garment, and he spun quickly, throwing a pumpkin into her back. The heat that resulted from the explosion rushed over her and she fell into the water next to Maxiwill. She pulled herself up weakly, her arms were shaking from the pain in her back. Maxiwill looked over at her, his glasses askew.

"I am Jack! The Pumpkin King!" the skeleton roared, "And I demand that you leave this place at once!!" Maxiwill wrapped his hand around the handle of his boomerang and it disappeared in a flash. He stood up weakly. He smirked darkly and looked over at Elyxca with half closed eyes. Her claws disappeared and shadows returned to their places. He picked the girl up and slung her over his shoulder. A slight moan escaped her due to the pain.

"Hmm.." he looked around the town, "Doesn't exactly look like a place I'd return to, anyway. You have horrible hospitality." He held up his hand and created a black vortex. He pushed Elyxca up, as she was sliding and he walked through the darkness. The Pumpkin King wore a scowl the likes of which Halloween Town had never seen before as the two disappeared into the darkness.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV


	10. Red Coated Enigma! Showdown on Gunsmoke!

**Kingdom Hearts : Worlds Apart**

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Dust swirled violently around the planet. The wind was blowing harshly and stung the eyes of the civilians. A black orb appeared in the center of the small town, next to the western style saloon. A girl emerged from it, growling at herself. "Stupid men and their stupid…" she screamed loudly at this. A few townsfolk stared at her oddly.

"Keep it down, lady!" shouted a man. Lexstrik blinked and then looked away.

_Why did Maxiwill pick _this _place? _she thought, _Not exactly the kindest people. _She stuck her nose up in the air and walked into the saloon. It was quiet, excluding the player piano that rested in the corner. She couldn't tell what it was playing; the piano was missing a few keys and wouldn't play those notes. A few men looked up from their alcohol and noticed her walk in. A murmur rolled through the saloon. She ignored the stares and wolf whistles. She approached the bar, sitting on the stool next to a man in a long red coat. She wondered why the other men wouldn't stare at him instead of her. Surely he had a stranger attire than she did. Buttons adorned the jacket at almost every point. His right arm was covered in his sleeve, but something was odd about his left arm. It was covered in leather belts and metal studs. He had a silver elbow-pad. He was thin, but Lexstrik noticed a few bulges of muscle along his chest and upper arms. His coat was as long as hers and a brilliant red. Lexstrik felt like placing a hand on the top of his spiky hair; she thought it would be able to hold it. Upon his face was a pair of orange sunglasses with jagged ear pieces. The man cast a glance at her, then returned to his drink. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Not going to offer a lady a drink?" she said to him, leaning her back on the bar. He didn't look at her.

"Women shouldn't drink," he said simply. His voice reminded her of a boy trying to act serious. She pursed her lips. He continued, "I've seen people in your clothing before. Some Organizers or.." he looked up at the ceiling, "something like that." Lexstrik's eyes widened for a moment.

"Organization XIII?" she asked. He replied with a curt nod, "Hmm. I wonder what they could be doing here."

"He had black hair and an eye patch," he took his left hand (also covered in the same leather as his entire arm) and traced a line along his left cheek, "And a long scar. Carried two guns I've never encountered before." He lifted his right hand. Lexstrik pondered for a moment. It had to have been a member of the Organization that she had never met before. The man he described wasn't Axel, nor was it the same description that Elyxca had given of the ones named 'Demyx' or 'Saix'. And she vaguely remembered that Axel had told her their superior, Xemnas, had white hair, not black.

"Did he give a name?" She asked him, scooting a little closer. She enjoyed the seriousness this man had; much different from Axel's demeanor or the off-the-wall attitude that Jack Sparrow had. He pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Nope. Just said he was Number Two in this so-called Organization." He lifted the drink and placed the edge of the cup to his lips. There was the sound of gunfire and the glass shattered in his hand. His glasses slid down his nose and he let out a soft whimper. The red coated man turned around. At the door of the saloon stood a man much larger than he. His stomach bulged out from beneath a white shirt and his chest was covered with a torn jean jacket. His arms were like barrels and a large gun rested in his fist that was as large as a trash can lid. His legs were short, but much like his arms: round and very thick.

"I've come for the sixty billion double-dollar bounty on your head…" he jabbed a porky finger at the red coat, "Vash the Stampede!!" The blonde haired man removed his sunglasses and placed them in his pocket. He placed his hand on his chin and an odd sparkle appeared in his eyes, which Lexstrik found were a wonderful teal.

"Me? That monster Vash the Stampede?" he let out a boyish laugh and rolled his eyes, "I am not he! I would never---" he was cut off by another gunshot.

"Shut your trap!" the man bellowed. Lexstrik was rather frightened of the tone and deepness of his voice. He jabbed the gun at him, as if it were a sharper weapon, "Now get outside!" The man named Vash placed his hands in the air and let out a soft sigh. He looked over at Lexstrik.

"If only we met somewhere else…" he replied sadly, walking out of the saloon. When he stepped out into the street, the wind caused his coat to flare out around him. Lexstrik stood up quickly and followed out behind the behemoth of a man. Vash paused in the street and the man held the gun to his back. Lexstrik bit her finger, staring at them. Her new 'friend' was about to be killed right in front of her. There was a gunshot and she closed her eyes tightly. "Sorry about that!" said a voice, "Guess my aim is a little off!" A loud laugh echoed in her head. Lexstrik opened her eyes and turned. Vash stood over the heap of a behemoth, scratching the back of his head. He was laughing? And alive? Then who fired the gun? The larger man was on the ground, his shoulder bleeding.

"How did…where did you get…" he was coughing in between his words, clutching his shoulder. Vash put a serious face on.

"You're not going to die. I could never take someone's life." He looked over at Lexstrik and laughed again, "Sorry you had to see that! I'm normally much better mannered!" However, the girl wasn't interested in how 'well mannered' Vash was. She was wondering how he managed to beat that man with a gun to his back. Surely, Vash wasn't a normal human. He approached her, handing her his sunglasses. She blinked at them before taking them. "This planet, Planet Gunsmoke, has two suns. I'm much better used to it than you, so I think that my sunglasses would help you better than they would for me." She smiled softly and placed them on her nose. The sun glinted off the side of them.

"Thank you, Vash," she said, "But how did you…" she nodded at the behemoth who was slowly standing up, still clutching his shoulder. His gun was missing. Vash spun a silver pistol around his finger casually.

"He was too slow," he closed his eyes and smiled. He burst out into laughter, which caused Lexstrik to giggle as well. Vash bent the barrel of the gun and tossed it away. Lexstrik was about to ask him why before she starting to cough as a gust of wind kicked dust into her nose. She stared through the dust and noticed another black orb forming up from the ground. Vash braced himself.

"That's how that guy came through!" he snapped, "Through a black portal!" His hand rested on something on the inside of his coat that Lexstrik couldn't see. As a figure emerged from the darkness, there was the sound of another gun being fired.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!!" cried out a voice familiar to Lexstrik. The man who emerged from the darkness looked down as strands of his hair fell into the dirt and were then carried away by the wind. Maxiwill looked up at Vash, who was pointing another silver pistol at him. However, Lexstrik noticed that the barrel of this gun was much longer and narrowed than the one the behemoth carried. Maxiwill looked at the bleeding man. "What did I miss?" he asked Lexstrik, walking over to her. Elyxca stirred in his arms, opening her eyes slowly. The boy didn't look down, yet he stared at Vash with narrowed eyes. "And what's the big idea? Shooting at me when I haven't even done anything to you yet!" Elyxca looked up at Maxiwill and felt her face grow hot.

"Let me go!" she cried out, pushing him. They both fell over in a heap on the ground. Elyxca was the first to stand, brushing dust off of her coat. A soft blush creeped across her cheeks and she looked at Lexstrik. Maxiwill stood up slowly, summoning a gust of wind to blow the dirt off his clothes.

"You're welcome!" he snapped at the girl. Lexstrik shook her head and crossed her arms. Vash, however, did nothing. He kept the gun pointed at Maxiwill. "You can put that down now," the Nobody growled. The Stampede lowered his weapon.

"So, I take it you're not in league with this Organization, either?" Vash asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Maxiwill did nothing. Lexstrik stepped forward.

"The three of us don't have anything to do with them," she explained, "We're trying figure out a way to get hearts before they do. Once we do..."

"We'll become whole," Maxiwill finished for her, "But it hasn't been easy. All of us have been trying our best to obtain them, but as you can tell," he held his arms out for Vash to examine his whole body, "we're still nothings. We're still Nobodies." He bit his lower lip and it didn't sting. He opened his mouth and poked his canines. They had returned to their normal size and shape. That would mean Elyxca no longer had her wings. Maxiwill walked around the group, staring at her back and nodding. He was right. The feathery-black wings were gone from her body. Vash seemed to ponder over this entire story. A gust of wind kicked up all four of their coats. "Who are you?" Maxiwill asked to break the silence. His question was directed at Vash. The Stampede blinked and looked away solemnly.

"I am nobody. I am an innocent man convicted of destroying the entire town of July.." His eyes had lost their sparkle for the moment, "The sixty billon double-dollar man: Vash the Stampede." He turned his back on the three and began to walk away. "Everywhere I go, trouble seems to follow. Innocent people get hurt and I can't let that happen. So long, friends." Vash seemed to vanish in a swirl of dust and wind, just a faded memory of his red coat was left behind.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The sound of six footsteps echoed in the barren wasteland of a mountainous region. The three stopped. Sora shut his eyes tightly then opened them. "This world is so bright..." he groaned, looking up. He noticed the rings of two suns shining brilliantly above him. Goofy had placed his goggles over his eyes and squinted. These goggles were a wonderful guard against the dirt that was blowing around, and they provided a decent shade from the two suns.

"Lookie there, Sora! It's a town!" the dog pointed down the mountain side. Sure enough, a small town was nestled securely below them. It looked as if it were split in half, with buildings towering on the left and right side, and a single path beaten into the center. Sora looked to Goofy then to his other companion, Donald.

"Fancy a look?" the boy asked. The two nodded, carefully climbing down the side. Donald had slipped on many occasions: webbed feet were not a decent way to scale a mountain. Goofy had to continuously hold onto his hat whenever a gust blew through. Sora, on the other hand, had no problem moving down. His fingertips were stinging a bit from the rocks, but other than that, he was fine. It took them about twenty minutes or so to reach the bottom. From there, it was a simple decline in elevation to the town. No rocks to climb over, no cliffs to climb down. A simple decline.

"Well! It's Roxas!" called out a familiar voice. Instinctively, Sora's Keyblade was summoned to his hand. The silver weapon glistened in the light. However, he removed a keychain from his pocket. It was shaped like a life preserver, black and white. The chain dangled from the top. Quickly, he detached the mouse-shaped head keychain of his Keyblade and clipped the life preserver onto it. There was another bright flash of light. The Keyblade's shape changed drastically. The handle was now encased inside another large and white floatation device, with black rope spaced evenly around it. The blade of the key was now a large tube that expanded as it reached a hub-capped shape to the top. Three smokestacks, getting smaller from top to bottom, pertruded from the side of the tube. The weapon looked as if it had been taken through grayscale, called the Monochrome. Goofy and Donald had also revealed their weapons, unchanged from before. "Wow. Looks like you're getting ready to fight," said the voice.

"Who is that? Show yourself!" Sora barked.

"Come out and stop hiding!" Donald squawked. The voice was coming from a black cloaked man with chains dangling from his hood and along his neck. A silver zipper shined brightly. His hood was up and his face was hidden. He removed his hood. Long black hair tied in a ponytail rolled out from beneath his hood. The top of his head had streaks of grey in it. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye and there was a dark scar on the left side of his face. He held his arms loosely at his sides.

"Roxas was never like that," he said casually, shaking his head. Sora scowled.

"Who's 'Roxas'?!" he ordered, "Tell me!" The grip on his new Keyblade tightened. Goofy blinked for a minute and lowered his shield.

"You'll find out." He held up a hand and five orbs formed a star around the three heroes. From these orbs emerged white creatures. They were gangly and their actions were sparratic. They twitched violently. The member of Organization XIII formed one last black blob and disappeared through it. Sora gripped his Keyblade and looked at the creatures around him. He had fought them before, back in Twilight Town at the train station. Only, the King was there to help him before and now he doubted that he was going to appear to save his skin again.

"Go away!" Sora yelled, running at the closest creature and bringing the Keyblade down. With each strike, white and black stars spilled around him magically. The white creatures, known as Dusks, jumped into action. Goofy tossed his shield, and it spun dangerously around and caught one in the head. The creature fell to the ground in a heap. Sora spun around on his heel and smacked another one away from Donald. He was running at the Dusk and casually slipped behind it. The tip of his Keyblade began to glow with a blue light. "Blizzard!" he shouted. A flurry of snow blast out and encased the Dusk in ice. He smashed the frozen creature, but the only things that feel were the chunks of ice. The white creature had disappeared in a flash of black light. The battle raged for another twenty minutes. The creatures had disappeared. Sora sat in the dirt, one leg stretched out and the other bent. He rested his forehead on his knee and took many deep breaths. Sweat dripped from his brow and his nose. Goofy kept his goggles on, removed his hat and wiped away the perspiration. Donald was shaking the sweat off his feathers. Sora looked at his companions. "This world is too hot," he groaned. The two nodded in agreement.

After a five minute rest and a little more complaining, they began to make way toward the town once more. Sora held his Monochrome up to his forehead and used it as a shade from the two scorching suns that beat down upon them. Goofy held his round shield above his head like an umbrella and Donald would blast them all with a soft Blizzard to cool them off. This made the trek there much more enjoyable. They were silent for a time before brushing past a tall man in a long red coat. Sora looked at him blankly as they passed. "Excuse me," Sora said. The man paused and looked at him, "We're looking for someone. He's got long hair and-"

"He's in the town," the red coated man said, jabbing a thumb behind him, "long hair. And he was with two others." Sora's eyes widened.

"It could be the King and Kairi!" Goofy laughed, "C'mon, Sora! Let's go!" He grabbed Donald and ran toward the town. Sora continued to look at the man curiously. The long red coat was interesting and he stopped trying to count the seemingly endless amount of buttons. The man's teal eyes reflected in Sora's blue ones.

"Sora?" the man whispered, "A man in a black cloak was looking for you," He looked away then to him again, "You were supposedly with someone named 'Roxas', as well. He attacked the town and now I'm looking for him. If you spotted him, tell me." Sora was itching to leave the man behind and go back to his friends.

"What did he look like?" he asked.

"He had an eyepatch and a scar on his face," the man traced along his cheek. Sora gasped.

"We met him in the desert!" The boy pointed to the direction he had come from, "He ambushed us on our way down from the rocks." The man nodded and left the boy behind without another word. Sora watched him leave.

"Sora! Come on!" Donald called out from the city's limit. Sora turned quickly and nodded. He dashed away from the spot, leaving behind the red coated enigma.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

There was a shattering of glass and the splatter of liquid all over the floor. Maxiwill, Elyxca, and Lexstrik stood in the doorway of the saloon, their expressions void. Two men were fighting on the bar, smashing bottles of alcohol on each other and throwing glass shards across the room. A bottle was hurled toward Elyxca. She put up her hands to defend herself and felt nothing as it shattered behind her. Maxiwill and Lexstrik both blinked as they watched the girl disappear and reappear before their eyes. "So!" Maxiwill laughed, patting her on the shoulder as a bottle whizzed past his ear, "That's what you can do! I'm impressed!" Elyxca looked at him coldly. The boy scratched the back of his head sheepishly and ducked as a shard of glass about the size of his fist fly over his head. He looked over his shoulder as it shattered on the ground.

"Okay! That's it!" Lexstrik barked. Maxiwill nodded in agreement, then held up his hands. Wind whipped about from the outside and blew sand into the saloon. Every bit of motion stopped and focused on them.

"You three got a problem?" growled a gruff voice. It came from a man with a very bushy beard, wearing coveralls. Maxiwill shook his head and strode into the bar. He looked at the man and then placed a hand on his chin.

"No," he said simply, "but it is hard to get a drink when there's a bar fight going on." Maxiwill slammed his fist on the bar and three bottles of a clear liquid fell into his hand. He bid the men farewell, walked out of the saloon and took Lexstrik and Elyxca with him. He paused in the doorway, turned to look at the men inside and smiled. They were glaring back at him. "Carry on!" he said casually, making a waving gesture with his hand. One man laughed and as Maxiwill closed the saloon door behind him, he heard more shattering of bottles and gunshots. He shook his head with a laugh. The boy handed the two girls the bottles and opened his. As Maxiwill was about to take a swig from the liquid, he noticed movement from the corner of his eye. "Huh..?" he blinked, looking to his left and squinting. Three figures were running into the town, one rather far behind the other two. He adjusted his half-moon spectacles and dropped his bottle. It shattered the moment it hit the ground. Lexstrik had just opened hers and Elyxca had already taken a small sip before spitting it out in digust.

"This stuff has turned sour!" she groaned, forcing the bottle into Maxiwill's chest. However, he didn't make a grab for it and it fell to the ground next to his in a loud crash. The liquid inside the containers oozed beneath his boots and in between the floorboards of the saloon's deck. Elyxca waved a hand in front of his face. "What're you looking at?" she asked, beginning to stare in the same direction. The figures were coming into a better view and a scowl appeared on Maxiwill's face.

"It's that kid with the oversized key!" he barked, slamming his foot on the ground. The boy motioned for the girls to follow him behind the saloon wall. The three figures slowed down and looked around. The tallest of the three, known as Goofy, looked around.

"I thought I heard voices," he said with a drawl, "It could have been Riku or the King!" Sora caught up and took a few breaths before walking up onto the deck of the saloon to allow the lip of the roof that hung over him to block the suns.

"I sure wish we could find them. Kairi, too..." he sighed. Maxiwill had been watching from the side of the building and backed away slowly. He smirked and nudged Lexstrik.

"He's looking for someone," he said cooly, "What if we find them first and hold them hostage for him?" Lexstrik shook her head disapprovingly.

"No, no," she whispered, "we have enough to deal with when it comes to Organization XIII. No need to put more on our plates." Maxiwill sighed, snatched the bottle that Lexstrik held in her hand and took a swig from it. However, he spat it out in a loud spray.

"Man! You weren't kidding when you said it was sour!" he groaned, throwing it on the ground.

"Who's there?" called out Sora's voice. Maxiwill gulped and looked at the other two. He mouthed the words 'stay here' to them and walked out from behind the building with his hood up. The Nobody noticed Sora grip his Keyblade tighter. He also noticed how different the weapon looked from the last time he saw it on the mysterious ring-world of Halo.

"It's me, Sora..." he masked his voice slightly, making it slightly deeper, but added a bit of a raspy tone to it, "The one you've been looking for." Maxiwill searched his mind for the name of the boy they mentioned but nothing came to him. Sora loosened his grip on the Keyblade.

"Riku?" he whispered, taking a step toward him. Goofy and Donald gasped.

"He's here!?" Donald squawked. Sora took another step towards him. Maxiwill gave himself a silent laugh. Then he removed his hood, revealing who he really was to the boy. Sora took the initiative and immediately gripped his Monochrome into a white-knuckled grasp.

"Oh man!" Maxiwill laughed as Elyxca and Lexstrik strode out from behind the building laughing with him, "You're too gullible and trustworthy, kid." He shook his head.

"Looks like his emotions are his weak spot," Elyxca whispered into Lexstrik's ear. This was answered with a nod. Sora growled and ran at Maxiwill with his Keyblade extended. The Nobody side-stepped him.

"You...Organization XIII reject!!" Sora cried out. His Keyblade shined with a bright light as he sent out orange bursts of flame towards the Nobody. Maxiwill gasped and kicked up the wind to extinguish the fire. Goofy and Donald brandished their weapons and moved in to help the Keyblade wielder. Donald lifted his wand and brought down bolts of electricity. Maxiwill felt the electricty surge through him. He fell onto his knees, shaking his head. He stood up slowly, looking at the duck. Goofy threw his shield at the Nobody, and hit him square in the stomach. Lexstrik decided it was time for her to step in. She held her hands out and a flash of light initiated the appearance of her daggers. She dashed at Goofy, bringing a blade down upon his arm. A loud clang echoed through the town when Sora held up his Monochrome to block her weapon. Elyxca clenched her fists and watched as the group fought. Maxiwill was spinning Goofy's shield around him with gusts, letting it build up momentum. Once he deemed fit, Maxiwill let the wind throw the defensive apparatus. Sora had turned sharpy to notice it. The boy was hit, hard, in the shoulder. Sora fell into the dirt. Elyxca flexed and clenched her fingers many times before she finally decided to play. Shadows from the buildings flowed toward her like black water. Even the shadows of the combatants disappeared as well. These whisps of smoke wrapped themselves around her hands and with a bright flash (which didn't seem so bright because of the light from the two suns), her gold and lilac claws could be seen. She jumped into the fray, slashing for something. She heard a groan from Donald as her attack damaged his arm. The duck jumped back and shot down more lightning. Elyxca shut her eyes tightly and disappeared, the Thunder spell striking the ground harmlessly. Then the fighting stopped. Lexstrik paused with her dagger above her head. Maxiwill had Sora up off the ground by the collar. Elyxca emerged from nothingness and looked up. The man in the red coat was standing on top of the building opposite the saloon, fighting against another person in a black cloak. Sora took the pause as a chance to kick Maxiwill in the chest and retreat back to the deck of the saloon. Upon feeling the force in his chest, Maxiwill stumbled back and coughed loudly. Then their attentions all turned back to the event on the building. Sora, Goofy, and Donald immediately recognized the opponent: the man they met in the desert. Pinkish shards of light were firing in all directions.

"Your aim isn't very good, Xigbar!" shouted the red coat. Lexstrik gasped.

"Vash! Be careful!" she cried out. Sora blinked. He now knew the man's name.

"If you don't shoot to kill," the Organization member laughed, "why shoot at all?" Xigbar fired more shards from his weapons. They were odd looking guns with dorsal fin-like attachments on the bottoms. The barrels were long and pointed. There was a purple outline along the inside of the weapons. Xigbar had his hand on a small metal bar encased in a round barrier. Vash scowled and fired his silver gun. It struck the Organization member in the shoulder, causing a loud yell of pain.

"Killing is not what I do!" Vash barked, firing again. The other bullet landed in the man's hand. This caused Xigbar to drop the weapon he held in his left hand. It clattered on the ceiling. Xigbar grunted and fired a whole round of pink shards at Vash. They ripped at his coat, adding holes to the bottom. These holes looked as if someone had put a cigarette to his jacket; it had the same type of burn mark around them. The group on the ground figured that these shards were white-hot. Lexstrik, Elyxca, and Maxiwill looked at the other three and shook their heads together. They all ran up to the building, then had Maxiwill lift them upwards with a very strong gust. They brought dust and small debris with them. Xigbar growled.

"Nobodies against Nobodies?" he shook his head, causing his ponytail to fall over his shoulder. He brushed it out of his way, "Now, we shouldn't fight." He bent down and picked up his other gun. Maxiwill held up his hand and felt the wind rush around to his palm. The tell-tale metal bar materialized in the air. When he wrapped his slender fingers around it, light began to emit from the handle and form into his jagged boomerang. He buckled his knees under its weight and smirked.

"What do you want here, anyway?" Maxiwill asked, swaying back and forth cooly with his weapon.

"The same thing you could want," Xigbar replied, nodding in Vash's direction, "His heart." Vash's eyes widened as he looked from Xigbar then to the three Nobodies he had called friends. He took a step back, his gun held loosely in his hand.

"His heart?" Elyxca repeated, looking at Vash. The red coated man looked away.

"Gee. Kids these days don't exactly hear as well as they used to," Xigbar shook his head again, "Yes, pretty girl. His heart." Maxiwill looked from Vash to Xigbar.

"You three," Vash whispered, "are just like him." He tapped his gun against his leg casually. "You're part of this Organization, too, aren't you? You're all in on it, then?" Lexstrik shook her head many times.

"No, no! We told you, Vash! We don't have anything to do with them!" Her daggers clanked together as she placed both of them into her right hand. She held out her left to pat him on the shoulder, but the Stampede pulled back harshly.

"How do I know you weren't lying?" Vash's grip on his gun tightened. There was a sudden change in his voice. It was very sad sounding. Xigbar noticed this change in secruity and let out a soft chuckle.

"They were lying to you from the start," he said, "They were here helping me take your heart away." Maxiwill's jaw dropped and he gripped the handle of his boomerang until the knuckles beneath his black gloves turned white. He looked down at the town and saw Sora staring up at them. The three on the ground had not moved. They were listening in on what very little they could hear. The Nobody pushed his spectacles up the bridge of his nose. He was starting to feel this world was becoming a bit cramped for him. Elyxca crossed her arms and drummed her claws against her arm. Down below, Sora was becoming a bit impatient. He was walking back and forth along the town's center, still gazing up at the roof and his Monochrome held loosely at his side. Vash looked from the ground to the four Nobodies. He held up his silver pistol. Lexstrik's eyes shimmered behind the orange sunglasses the Stampede had given her earlier.

"Get out," he said. Another change in his tone. Maxiwill stared at Vash from the corner of his eye.

"Don't be stupid. We're wanting to get this guy out of--" he was cut off by the click of the hammer. Vash was serious. At this point, Sora was now scrambling up the building along the clothing lines that hung out between buildings. He finally reached the top, pulling himself up by his elbows. He gripped his Keyblade tightly. Elyxca now eyed Sora intently. She gripped her arm a little too tightly with her claw and immediately dropped her hands to her sides.

"You three are just like Organization XIII! Hurting people to get what you want!" Sora barked. He stayed where he was and didn't make any advances. Xigbar laughed and shook his head.

"Well, you're ignorant like Roxas, too."

"And who's 'Roxas'?!" Sora demanded, "That weird guy in the Underworld kept calling me that, too!" His mind envisioned the Organization member with the blue sitar, remembering the many water clones of him that he had to battle. He made a dash towards Xigbar, his Keyblade extended. Maxiwill, however, held his foot out. The Keyblade weilder stumbled and fell onto his stomach. His Keyblade made a loud clatter as it landed a few feet away from him. Lexstrik and Elyxca both contained their silent giggles.

"Watch your step," Maxiwill sniggered. Sora stood up, brushed himself off and summoned his Monochrome back to him. He jumped up and brought the Keyblade downward. The Nobody swung his boomerang around to his front, the opposing weapon clanging loudly against the top of it. "Temper! Temper!" he laughed. Sora felt himself being pulled back by a strong arm. Vash looked down at him and let him go. The teal eyes of the Stampede examined each weapon before him. Guns, claws, daggers and a boomerang. All strange looking, but all similar to weapons he's had to face in the past.

"When you're like me," he whispered to Sora, "you have to learn to fight everyday." A glint appeared in his eye. In a flash, the Stampede snatched Sora by the collar, jumped into the air and landed on the ground below. Fifty pink shards rained from the sky and landed in the exact spot the two were just moments before. Xigbar cursed under his breath and looked to the sandy ground.

"Thanks," Sora said to Vash.

"We're not done yet." At this, Elyxca, Maxiwill and Lexstrik both landed a few feet across from Vash and Sora. The sound of footsteps could be heard as Donald and Goofy joined their spiky-headed pal. It was four against three, the odds in favor of the heroes. Xigbar still remained on top of the building, looking down. His two guns held loosely at his sides were dangerously close to slipping from his grasp.

"This ought to be interesting. Sad I don't have anything to eat to watch." He shook his head, lifted his hand and walked backwards into a black portal. The world was now occupied by only three Nobodies. Vash spun his pistol around in a flashy manner and pointed it to Lexstrik. He then held out his hand as if wanting something.

"My sunglasses, if you please," the Stampede said. Lexstrik pulled the orange glasses off her nose and held them out. The two moved closer to each other until the female could simply drop them into his hand. The Stampede placed them over his eyes and looked up at the sky. The two suns reflected brightly against the lenses. Elyxca looked at Maxiwill. His leg was shaking slightly. It could have been from anticipation or it could have been because the boomerang was getting fairly heavy.

"What'll happen now?" she asked him. The Nobody cast her a glance from the corner of his eye then looked at Vash and Lexstrik.

"I dunno about Ol' Red and Lexxy," he then looked passed them to Sora and his friend on the other side, "but Sir Poofy Pants is mine." He looked at Elyxca with a smirk and then quickly pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He dashed with his boomerang at his side, sweeping passed Vash and Lexstrik and aiming straight for the boy with the Keyblade. There was a loud gunshot and the clanging of metal on the ground. Elyxca let out a soft scream and clasped her hands over her mouth. Lexstrik took a few steps back in awe. Maxiwill's boomerang lay alone on the dust, the edges becoming covered with sand. The Nobody clutched his wrist as his left hand twitched in pain. He looked over to see Vash pointing the silver weapon at him. The barrel of the gun was smoking.

"Don't even think about it," he scowled. Maxiwill cast a glance to Sora, Goofy and Donald and jumped back next to Elyxca. Lexstrik strode over to them, the three Nobodies standing tall against the glare of the sunlight. Maxiwill snapped his fingers and his boomerang floated upwards into the air. It spun over to him then disappeared right before he could grab it. He smirked.

"Faster than I thought," he gave a thumbs up and extended his pointer finger. Maxiwill fired his imaginiary gun at Vash. The wind blew very harshly and forced the Stampede to hold his arms to cover his face. Elyxca made a move to attack, but Lexstrik held an arm out to block her. The Nobodies each raised their hands to chest level, created a swirling black portal and bid a farewell to Vash and Sora. Their portals disappeared in a whisp of black smoke. The shadows that Elyxca had stolen returned to their rightful places. Everything was right. Vash turned to Sora.

"How did you manage to hit him like that?" Goofy asked. Vash scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"Lucky shot, I guess!" his laughter echoed in the street. Sora couldn't help but join in the laughter.

"You could have probably done more damage than you did, Vash," Donald said, "Why didn't you?" Vash's expression changed and became serious.

"I do not kill. No matter who the culprit is, I do not see it fit to take a life..." He then laughed and extended his arm. He wrapped his middle and pointer finger around each other. "Remember this, Sora and repeat after me!" At this, Sora, Goofy and Donald extended their arms and imitated the Stampede's finger position. "This world is made of...LOVE AND PEACE!" Vash pulled his arm back and then moved it forward. "Love and peace! Love and peace!" He repeated.

"Love and peace!!" the group shouted together. The empty street became filled with laughter, which dissolved into the whispering winds and dusty blue sky.


End file.
